Country United Kingdom Originally published 2001 | Language English | |
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Similar David Cannadine books, Imperialism books, History books | ||
jlf 2014 ornamentalism how the british saw their empire
Ornamentalism: How the British Saw Their Empire is a book by David Cannadine about British perceptions of the British Empire. Cannadine argues that class, rank and status were more important to the British Empire than race. The title of the work Ornamentalism is a direct reference to Edward Said's book Orientalism, which argues the existence of prejudiced outsider interpretations of the East, shaped by the attitudes of European imperialism in the 18th and 19th centuries. It has also been argued to borrow tones from the title of Joseph Scumpeter's "Imperialism and Social Classes which some historians see as the origins of the 'Ornamentalist' perspective in academic history'
Contents
Analysis
Peter J. Marshall states that Cannadine makes two arguments in Ornamentalism:
Criticism
Ornamentalism has been criticized for underplaying the racist element of the civilising mission.