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networks in some of the territories he administered. This study, therefore, is not a “life” of Gordon in the usual biographical sense, though his personality is certainly examined so far as it is revealed in his writings and in his actions and the chronological narrative of his appointments has been followed as a framework. Rather, it is an application of the patron-client model to his techniques of administration in different imperial contexts to help explain his relative success or failure according to the loyalties he inspired, the influence he acquired, and the methods he used to foster and reward in his capacity as an imperial broker.
Chapman's claim for Gordon as a vector for the concept of “Indirect Rule” is of interest to historians of Africa, the Pacific, and parts of India and South-East Asia and has been given special attention. This, in turn, has required a wider framework of reference than the territories Gordon governed and is dealt with mainly in the conclusion, along with an evaluation of his career.
—Oxford, Michaelmas Term, 2009. CN.