The emergence of a vibrant imperial culture and its pervasive influence
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 of the late nineteenth century and
the wider imperial project.
From the late nineteenth century, pleasure seekers enjoyed the
spectacular depiction of empire on stage and screen. Meanwhile school
children began to learn about the imperial project through new curricula
and events such as Empire Day. The demand for imperial loyalty also
loomed large over recruiting campaigns for both the Boer and First World
Wars. However, the passion for empire also fostered widespread
anxieties. 'Urban explorers' imitated imperial adventurers in Africa and
found similar 'savagery' in the underworld of the English city.
Beaven shows that the ebb and flow of imperial enthusiasm was shaped by
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
investigates the diffusion of civic and imperial cultures in three
representative English cities. These case studies, which draw from a
rich seam of primary sources, 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.
