Ornamentalism: How the British Saw Their EmpireWith the return of Hong Kong to the Chinese government in 1997, the empire that had lasted three hundred years and "upon which the sun never set" finally lost its hold on the world and slipped into history. But the question of how we understand the British Empire--its origins, nature, purpose, and effect on the world it ruled--is far from settled. In this incisive work, David Cannadine looks at the British Empire from a new perspective--through the eyes of those who created and ruled it--and offers fresh insight into the driving forces behind the Empire. Arguing against the views of Edward Said and others, Cannadine suggests that the British were motivated not only by race, but also by class. The British wanted to domesticate the exotic world of their colonies and to reorder the societies they ruled according to an idealized image of their own class hierarchies. |
Contents
Preface | xiii |
BEGINNINGS | 1 |
Prologue | 3 |
Precursors | 11 |
LOCALITIES | 25 |
Dominions | 27 |
India | 41 |
Colonies | 58 |
Honours | 85 |
Monarchs | 101 |
Perspectives | 121 |
Limitations | 136 |
ENDINGS | 151 |
Dissolution | 153 |
Epilogue | 174 |
Mandates | 71 |
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Common terms and phrases
Arab Arthur Hamilton Gordon Australia Bayly Britain British Empire British imperial British monarchy British Raj Britons Bunyip Aristocracy Cambridge Canada Canadian Cannadine ceremonial chiefs Colonial Gentry Commonwealth coronation crown Culture Curzon Decolonization Delhi dominions of settlement durbar Egypt emirs end of empire English GCIE GCMG GCSI governor governor-general History honours idem Ideologies imperial hierarchy imperial metropolis independence Indian princes indigenous indirect rule Indo-Saracenic inter-war Invention of Tradition Iraq JICH Jubilee King George Lord maharaja Malaya Metcalf Michael and St Middle East monarchy Morris nationalist nations native Nigeria nineteenth century Office OHBE Order of St overseas Oxford P. J. Marshall Pax Britannica peerage perceptions periphery perspective political post-imperial proconsular proconsuls Queen Race rank replicated royal rulers ruling princes settlers sheikhs social hierarchy social order social structure South Africa sovereign splendour sultans T. E. Lawrence T. O. Ranger viceroy Victoria W. R. Louis Zealand