The Roots of English Colonialism in Ireland

Description

This book is a major study of the cultural foundations of the Tudor plantations in Ireland and of early English imperialism more generally. John Patrick Montano traces the roots of colonialism in the key relationship of cultivation and civility in Tudor England and shows the central role this played in Tudor strategies for settling, civilising and colonising Ireland. The book ranges from the role of cartography, surveying and material culture - houses, fences, fields, roads and bridges - in manifesting the new order to the place of diet, leisure, language and hairstyles in establishing cultural differences as a site of conflict between the Irish and the imperialising state and as a justification for the civilising process. It shows that the ideologies and strategies of colonisation which would later be applied in the New World were already apparent in the practices, material culture and hardening attitude towards barbarous customs of the Tudor regime.

John Patrick Montano is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Delaware.

'Anyone interested in Irish history, the Elizabethan period and the origins of modern imperialism ... should read this book.' Lisa Bitel, University of Southern California 'Montano offers an arresting, impressive and thought-provoking analysis of the underlying ideology and developing strategy by which the English conquest and colonisation of Ireland was completed in the sixteenth century ... a precedent for further colonial adventures in the Atlantic world and beyond.' Thomas Bartlett, University of Aberdeen '... Montano's elegant and richly-detailed book enhances an already-vibrant historical wall-hanging. Splendid production and polished prose further commend a lively account of English colonial aspirations in Ireland that will be sought out by all in the field and appreciated by anyone interested in a finely-wrought work of history.' Irish Literary Supplement 'John Patrick Montano's The Roots of English Colonialism in Ireland, like other works in Cambridge [University Press]'s series Critical Perspectives on Empire, aims to produce work that is both cognizant of postcolonial theory and grounded in empirical methodology.' Journal of British Studies 'The book's texts are diverse, which makes it rich; and the presentation of this material within such a disciplined thematic structure is commendable ... citing sundry contemporaries and contextualising their commentaries within social and political contexts, Montano presents a rather interesting explanation for the origins of the early plantation agenda.' Edward Cavanagh, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History