About the Author

Peter L Schmitthenner is Associate Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA. Born and raised in south India, Dr. Schmitthenner pursued post-graduate studies in History and South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. His research interests center on the British colonial legacy in south India, particularly Andhra. Currently he is researching the expansion and impact of hydraulic projects in nineteenth-century south India.