Humanities & Social Sciences

Visions of empire

Patriotism, popular culture and the city, 1870–1939

by Andrew Thompson, Brad Beaven, John M. MacKenzie

Description

The emergence of a vibrant imperial culture in British society from the 1890s both fascinated and appalled contemporaries. It has also consistently provoked controversy among historians. This book offers a ground-breaking perspective on how imperial culture was disseminated. It identifies the important synergies that grew between a new civic culture and the wider imperial project. Beaven shows that the ebb and flow of imperial enthusiasm was shaped through a fusion of local patriotism and a broader imperial identity. Imperial culture was neither generic nor unimportant but was instead multi-layered and recast to capture the concerns of a locality. The book draws on a rich seam of primary sources from three representative English cities. These case studies are considered against an extensive analysis of seminal and current historiography. This renders the book invaluable to those interested in the fields of imperialism, social and cultural history, popular culture, historical geography and urban history.

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Reviews

The emergence of a vibrant imperial culture and its pervasive influence in British society from the 1890s both fascinated and appalled contemporaries. It has also consistently provoked controversy among historians. This book offers a ground-breaking perspective on how imperial culture was disseminated. It identifies the important synergies that grew between a new civic culture of the late nineteenth century and the wider imperial project. From the late nineteenth century, pleasure seekers enjoyed the spectacular depiction of empire on stage and screen. Meanwhile school children began to learn about the imperial project through new curricula and events such as Empire Day. The demand for imperial loyalty also loomed large over recruiting campaigns for both the Boer and First World Wars. However, the passion for empire also fostered widespread anxieties. 'Urban explorers' imitated imperial adventurers in Africa and found similar 'savagery' in the underworld of the English city. Beaven shows that the ebb and flow of imperial enthusiasm was shaped by a fusion of local patriotism and a broader imperial identity. Imperial culture was neither generic nor unimportant but was instead multi-layered and recast to capture the concerns of a locality. The book investigates the diffusion of civic and imperial cultures in three representative English cities. These case studies, which draw from a rich seam of primary sources, are considered against an extensive analysis of seminal and current historiography. This renders the book invaluable to those interested in the fields of imperialism, social and cultural history, popular culture, historical geography and urban history.

Author Biography

Brad Beaven is Principal Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth; John MacKenzie is Emeritus Professor of Imperial History, Lancaster University and holds Honorary Professorships at Aberdeen, St Andrews and Stirling, as well as an Honorary Fellowship at Edinburgh.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Manchester University Press
  • Publication Date January 2017
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781526106698 / 1526106698
  • Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
  • ReadershipGeneral/trade
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions234 X 156 mm
  • SeriesStudies in Imperialism
  • Reference Code8495

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