Imperial Boredom offers a radical reconsideration of the British
Empire during its heyday in the nineteenth century. Challenging the
long-established view that the Empire was about adventure and
excitement, with heroic men and intrepid women eagerly spreading
commerce and civilization around the globe, this thoroughly
researched, engagingly written, and lavishly illustrated account
suggests instead that boredom was central to the experience of
Empire. This volume looks at what it was actually like to sail to
Australia, to serve as a soldier in South Africa, or to accompany a
colonial official to the hill stations of India, and agrues that
for numerous men and women, from governors to convicts, explorers
to tourists, the Victorian Empire was dull and disappointing.
Drawing on diaries, letters, memoirs, and travelogues, it
demonstrates that all across the empire, men and women found the
landscapes monotonous, the physical and psychological distance from
home debilitating, the routines of everyday life wearisome, and
their work unfulfilling. Ocean voyages were tedious; colonial rule
was bureaucratic; warfare was infrequent; economic opportunity was
limited; and indigenous people were largely invisible. The
seventeenth-century Empire may have been about wonder and marvel,
but the Victorian Empire was a far less exciting project.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
(7)
