The Absent-Minded Imperialists: Empire, Society, and Culture in Britain - Softcover

Porter, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199299595 ISBN 13: 9780199299591

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

The British empire was a huge enterprise. To foreigners it more or less defined Britain in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its repercussions in the wider world are still with us today. One might expect this to have been reflected in her society and culture. This is the first book to examine this assumption critically against the broader background of contemporary British society. Bernard Porter, a leading imperial historian, argues that the empire had a far lower profile in Britain than it did abroad. He argues that though Britain was an imperial nation in this period, she was never a genuine imperial society.

About this title

Product Description:

The Absent-Minded Imperialists It is an assumption that Britain was steeped in imperialism domestically, which affected almost everything Britons thought, felt, and did. This book examines this assumption against the background of contemporary British society. It argues that the empire had a lower profile in Britain than it did abroad. Full description

Review:

...[a] spirited and wide-ranging polemic ... an important book in every respect ... highly readable, and perfectly pitched to win friends and provoke enemies. (Stuart Ward, History Workshop Journal)

...an important book on empires. (Manan Ahmed, South Asia News)

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0199299595
• ISBN 13: 9780199299591
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504