Writing Imperial Histories

This book appraises the contribution of the flagship Studies in Imperialism series to the writing of imperial histories as the series passes its 100th publication. Its contributors explore several of the major intellectual themes and trends in imperial history, with a particular focus on the cultural readings of empire that have flourished over the last generation. When Studies in Imperialism was founded, imperial history was at a very low ebb. A quarter of a century on, there has been a tremendous broadening of the scope of what the study of empire encompasses. Essays in the volume consider how the series and the wider historiography have sought to reconnect British and imperial histories; to lay bare the cultural registers and expressions of colonial power; and to explore the variety of experiences the British peoples derived from empire as well as the different attitudes they formed towards it. The volume begins with essays which reflect on the series as a whole and the work of its general editor, John MacKenzie. These are followed by contributions which work outwards and expansively from the series to take stock of key fields within the 'new' imperial history, as well as to draw upon the series' foundational concerns to develop new lines of argument and approach. The contributions to the volume come from some of the most distinguished scholars writing today: Robert Aldrich, Sunil Amrith, Jim House, Chandrika Kaul, Dane Kennedy, Cherry Leonardi, Alan Lester, Mrinalini Sinha, Martin Thomas and Stuart Ward.