Visions of empire : patriotism, popular culture and the city, 1870-1939

This book offers a ground-breaking perspective on how imperial culture was disseminated. It draws on a consistent set of themes that influenced urban life between 1870 and 1939, in addressing the impact of imperialism on popular culture of the British society. The book identifies the important synergies that grew between a new civic culture and the wider imperial project. It explores the local and imperial nexus and whether imperial wars in the far reaches of the British Empire were translated into tangible localised issues. The book examines the role of volunteerism, patriotism and citizen-soldier relationships through two important conflicts, the Boer War and First World War. Drawing on a rich seam of primary sources from Portsmouth, Coventry and Leeds, case studies are considered against an extensive analysis of seminal and current historiography. The evidence drawn suggests that differing social, political and cultural contexts helped determine both a community's civic identity and, significantly, its engagement with national and imperial perspectives. University and religious settlements such as the High Anglican Oxford House, Toynbee Hall and the Oxford House Movement run by Anglo-Catholic slum priests exposed men to a life of service towards their imperial mission. The schooling experience of working-class children in these cities focused on curriculum, physical exercise, and extra-curricular activities. 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 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. Front matter Dedication Contents List of illustrations List of tables Acknowledgements General editor's introduction Introduction Cities in context: civic culture, ‘New Journalism’ and the creation of localised imperial identities, 1870–1939 The city and the imperial mission, 1850–1914 Civic ceremony and the citizen-soldier during the Boer War, 1899–1902 Fragmenting communities: patriotism, empire and the First World War Educating the future citizens of empire: working-class schooling, 1870–1939 Transmitting the imperial message: Empire Day and the 1924 Wembley Exhibition Mass entertainment, popular culture and imperial societies, 1870–1939 Conclusion Appendix 1: Principal newspapers in Portsmouth, Coventry and Leeds c. 1800–1940 Appendix 2: A sample of theatre, music hall and cinema entertainment in Portsmouth, Coventry and Leeds, 1870–1939 References Index This book offers a ground-breaking perspective on how imperial culture was disseminated from the 1890s onward. It identifies the important synergies that grew between a new civic culture and the wider imperial project. Three case studies are considered against an extensive analysis of seminal and current historiography. -- .