Island Race: Englishness, Empire And Gender In The Eighteenth Century (PDF)

By: Kathleen Wilson

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into UK education collection to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: Rooted in a period of vigorous exploration and colonialism, The Island Race: Englishness, empire and gender in the eighteenth centuryis an innovative study of the issues of nation, gender and identity. 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 * 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 Racewill become a seminal text for understanding the pressing issues that it confronts.