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The Island Race: Englishness, Empire and Gender in the Eighteenth Century
Paperback
Main Details
| Title |
The Island Race: Englishness, Empire and Gender in the Eighteenth Century
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| Authors and Contributors |
By (author) Kathleen Wilson
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| Physical Properties |
| Format:Paperback | | Pages:304 | | Dimensions(mm): Height 234,Width 156 |
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| Category/Genre | British and Irish History
World history - c 1750 to c 1900 |
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| ISBN/Barcode |
9780415158961
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| Classifications | Dewey:941.07 |
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| Audience | |
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| Illustrations |
23 black & white halftones
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Publishing Details |
| Publisher |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
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| Imprint |
Routledge
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| Publication Date |
3 October 2002 |
| Publication Country |
United Kingdom
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Description
Rooted in a period of aggressive exploration and colonialism, The Island Race: Englishness, empire and gender in the eighteenth century is an innovative study of the issues of nation, gender and identity. In the rapidly expanding eighteenth-century world, English perceptions of origin and heritage became altered - the question of national identity emerging as a particularly troubled and ambiguous issue. Wilson bases her analysis on a wide range of case studies drawn both from Britain and across the Atlantic and Pacific worlds. Creating a colourful and original colonial landscape, she considers topics such as sodomy, theatre, masculinity, the symbolism of Britannia and the role of women in war. Wilson shows the far-reaching implications that colonial power and expansion had upon the English people's sense of self, and argues that the vaunted singularity of English culture was in fact constituted by the bodies, practices and exchanges of peoples across the globe. Theoretically rigorous and highly readable, The Island Race will become a seminal text for understanding the pressing issues that it confronts.
Reviews'Elegantly written and handsomely produced ... this is an important book that specialists and nonspecialists alike will find rewarding.' - American Historical Review 'Kathleen Wilson's detailed and lively study is ... theoretically rigorous and exemplary in its interdisciplinary approach, encompassing appropriate analysis of drama and poetry as well as a range of extremely well-chosen and intriguing prints and paintings ... This is a book which will appeal to scholars in a wide range of disciplines ... her work fills the reader with renewed enthusiasm for her subject.' - European Journal of English Studies Kirkus Review US:As the title suggests, this collection of essays by Kathleen Wilson looks at the concepts and definitions of identity, gender and the question of national belonging within the British Empire during the 18th century. This was a time when British hegemony was spreading over the globe, and traditional ideas of national identity and gender roles were being challenged by new forms of knowledge and social structure. Wilson explores contemporary attitudes by way of five separate but inter-related case studies, including 'Breasts, Sodomy and the Lash', which looks at gender misrepresentation in the context of the empire, and 'Captain Cook and English Ethnicity', which focuses on the concept of 'Englishness' through the famous and influential figure of James Cook. This is primarily an academic history title, and will be of interest mainly to scholars and researchers already working in the field, although general readers who can cope with socio-historic vocabulary will find much to challenge and interest them. The text is supported by 63 pages of notes and 24 black-and-white illustrations, making it a valuable tool for further research as well as an important scholarly analysis of a much-debated subject. (Kirkus UK)
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