Second Year Module
Module Leader: Dr Laura Ishiguro
Rationale and Content:
In recent years there has been a dramatic revival of interest in Britain's imperial past and this course offers students the opportunity to engage with this vibrant scholarship as they consider the rise, fall and legacy of the British Empire. From Britain's early informal empire and Atlantic settlement through to the territorial avarice that characterised New Imperialism; from the wealth derived from slavery to the introduction of new consumer goods and ideas; from the contribution of the empire to two World Wars to Commonwealth immigration in recent decades – the history of Britain over the past few centuries has been inextricably linked to its empire. In this course we will consider the impact of this relationship on both colonisers and colonised, examining the lives of those who created, sustained and lived under the British Empire. Questions to be considered will include: Why and how did the British acquire an empire? Were economic, political, military or cultural factors paramount in shaping the course of British imperialism? How important was empire in generating British wealth? Did the British consider themselves an imperial people? Why did so many Britons emigrate? To what extent were those living in the British Empire considered 'British'? How did empire shape British culture and society and vice versa? How has our imperial and Commonwealth history shaped modern immigration to Britain? Was empire a stepping stone towards modern globalisation? Why does the idea of empire still hold such a pivotal role in the psyche of modern British society? How has the study of British imperialism changed in the past decade and where might it go next?
This module will take a chronological path from the early modern period through to the present day examining the evolution, apotheosis, demise and legacy of the British empire. Key themes will include: origins and consequences; trade, conquest and settlement; imperial rule and identities; the social and cultural impact of empire at home and abroad; emigration and immigration; slavery; consumption; intellectual exchange; resistance and nationalism; the end of empire, decolonisation and Commonwealth; and the continuing mythology of empire.
Learning and Teaching Strategies:
This module will be delivered through weekly lectures and seminars plus tutorial support. Where appropriate supporting resources will also be made available online. Seminar sessions will be designed to encourage student participation and will support students in strengthening their skills of presentation, discussion,argument and debate,and in evaluating,interpreting and using secondary and primary sources.
Assessment:
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Module
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Mode
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Weighting %
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Length
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Submission Date
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The British Empire
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Document commentary
Essay
Individual oral presentation (with handouts)
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40%
50%
10%
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2,000 words
2,500 words
10 minutes and handouts of not less than 2 sides of A4
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Week 6
Week 12
As scheduled
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Recommended introductory reading:
*Philippa Levine, The British Empire: Sunrise to Sunset, (2007).
*Rob Johnson, British Imperialism: Histories and Controversies, (2002).
Miles Ogborn, Global Lives: Britain and the World 1550-1800, (2008).
Sarah E. Stockwell, (ed.), The British Empire: Themes and Perspectives, (2007).
Further Reading:
David Armitage, The Ideological Origins of the British Empire, (2000).
C.A. Bayly, Imperial Meridian: The British Empire and the World, (1989).
H.V. Bowen, The Business of Empire: The East India Company and Imperial Britain 1756-1833, (2005).
Peter Cain, British Imperialism 1688-2000, (2001).
David Canadine, Ornamentalism: How the British saw their Empire, (2001).
Peter Clarke, The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire,(2008).
Nigel Dalziel, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire, (2006).
John Darwin, After Tamerlane: The Global History of Empire, (2007).
John Darwin, The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World System 1830-1970, (2009).
T.M. Devine, Scotland's Empire 1600-1815, (2004).
Neil Etherington, (ed.), Missions and Empire, (2005).
P. Gillroy, The Black Atlantic, (London, 1993).
Catherine Hall and Sonya Rose, At Home with the Empire: Metropolitan Culture and the Imperial World, (2006).
Stephen Howe, New Imperial Histories Reader, (2009).
Ronald Hyam, The End of British Imperialism: The Road to Decolonisation 1918-1968, (2007).
Ronald Hyam, The Lion's Share, (2004).
Ronald Hyam, Understanding the British Empire, (2010).
K. Jeffery, An Irish Empire? Aspects of Ireland and the British Empire, (1996).
Wm. Louis Roger (ed.) Oxford History of the British Empire – Vols. 1-5, (1999).
T.O. Lloyd, The British Empire 1558-1995, (1996).
Gary B. Magee and Andrew S. Thompson, Empire and Globalisation: Networks of People, Goods and Capital in the British World, c.1850-1914 , (2010).
John M. MacKenzie, Propaganda and Empire: Manipulation of British Public Opinion 1880-1960, (1986).
P.J. Marshall, The Making and Unmaking of Empires: Britain, India and America 1750-1783, (2005).
Philip D. Morgan and Sean Hawkins, (eds.)Black Experience and the Empire, (2004).
Paul Kleber Monod, Imperial Island: A History of Britain and its Empire 1660-1837, (2009).
Bernard Porter, The Absent Minded Imperialists: Empire, Society and Culture in Britain, (2006).
E. Richards, Britannia's Children: Emigration from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland since 1600, (2004).
Jane Sampson, The British Empire: An Oxford Reader, (2001).
Simon Smith, British Imperialism, (1998).
Andrew S. Thompson, The Empire Strikes Back: The Impact of Imperialism on Britain from the Mid Nineteenth Century, (2005).
Andrew S. Thompson, Imperial Britain: The Empire in British Politics, (2000).
James Walvin, Black Ivory: Slavery in the British Empire, (2001).
Stuart Ward, British Culture and the End of Empire, (2001).
Wendy Webster, Englishness and Empire, (2005).
Kathleen Wilson, A New Imperial History: Culture, Identity and Modernity in Britain and Empire 1660-1840, (2004).
Robert J.C. Young, Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction, (2003).