Cities of Empire
In Cities of Empire: The British Colonies and the Creation of the Urban World, historian Tristram Hunt (author of Marx’s General) explores Britain’s imperial history through the lens of the formerly colonial cities that he argues are her greatest legacy to the modern world.
Hunt organizes his work around ten cities and their role in the development of the British empire. Most, such as Boston and New Delhi, were founded as part of the empire. Others, such as Dublin and Liverpool, were transformed by the empire’s expansion. Hunt considers the history of each city’s creation or annexation not simply as an imperial act but as a series of negotiations and exchanges between two cultures, though admittedly often on unequal terms. He looks at their architecture, civic institutions and street names as imperial artifacts. He discusses the role of each city as both an entrepôt within the imperial network and a hub of the economy that developed around it. Working more or less chronologically, he traces the history of the empire from Boston’s transformation of itself from a colonial to a revolutionary city through Liverpool’s post-imperial decline. The book ends with Hunt’s assertion that Britain is now on the receiving end of the empire it created, shaped by exchanges and negotiations with its former colonies.
Cities of Empire is informed by post-colonial theory, urban history, and Hunt’s own Labour Party politics, but Hunt uses them with a light hand, creating a work of colonial history that is both lively and authoritative. If you’re fascinated by the British empire, this one’s for you.
This review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers.
In which I recommend some of my favorite history blogs
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
Working on the assumption that if you enjoy History in the Margins you might enjoy other history blogs, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites for your reading pleasure. Some appear every day. Some appear on a schedule known only to their creators. All of them are blogs that I greet with glee when they appear in my inbox.* Here they are:
- Alison Taylor Brown’s wonderful blog about the sixteenth century, Wolfgang Capito’s View, has been on hiatus for a while now. I missed it, so I was glad to learn she’s returned to the past with 30-Second Renaissance. Quick bites of history that include a picture, an insight and a flash of wit.
- Historical novelist Sandra Galland blogs about her research into 17th and 18th century life at Baroque Explorations. Sumptuous stuff. (I also enjoy her blog on surviving the writing life, but I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about writing blogs, book blogs, cooking blogs, needlework blogs or any of my other bloggish passions here. This is, after all, a place for history buffs to hang out.)
- Nancy Marie Brown’s God of Wednesday is a fascinating mix of Viking history, Norse mythology, Icelandic horses, miscellaneous things medieval and her personal relationship with all of the above. (If these topics are among your passions, I also recommend the Icelandic Language Blog –which is far more interesting than its title would suggest.)
- I return regularly to the late M.M. Bennett‘s blog on life in the eighteenth century. She knew her stuff.
- Military History Now looks at “the strange, off-beat and lesser-known aspects of military history”–just the kind of military history I like. Unlike many of the military history places I hang out, it considers social and cultural history as well as what I think of as “technical military history”. One of my favorite recent posts: The Secret Life of Napoleon Bonaparte. This is not your weird uncle Albert’s military history.
- Bart Ingraldi, regular commenter here at the Margins, explores historical ephemera at Paper Sleuth, where he uses literal scraps to illuminate bigger issues .
- Donna Seger’s Streets of Salem is local history at its best. She uses the history of Salem, Massachusetts, as a jumping off point for topics large and small, from historical ephemera** to world-shaking events.
- Two Nerdy History Girls is the on-line home of novelists Loretta Chase and Susan Holloway Scott. What female history nerd can resist eighteenth century fashion and mores, historical hotties, and tough broads from the past? Not me.
- Alphabetically last, but definitely not least, the award-winning group blog Wonders and Marvels.*** The tag line says it all: A community for curious minds who love history, its odd stories, and good reads. That’s you, right?
Those are my recommendations: a wide range of styles, periods and general approaches because that’s the way I read. I hope you enjoy them: just don’t forget to find your way back here when you’re done.
What history blogs would you suggest I check out?
*I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to keep up with blogs that don’t let me subscribe by e-mail. I have a Feedly account, but find I go there rarely. Which means I miss some great stuff. (Now that I think about it, this is closely related to my relationship with my filing cabinet.)
**Hmmm, I’m seeing a pattern here.
***Just so we’re clear: I loved Wonders and Marvels long before I became a regular contributor. In fact, writing for Wonders & Marvels was one of my goals when I started writing.
Another Year of History Ahead of Us
It’s a new year, which for history buffs means not only the chance to make changes moving forward but also the chance to look toward the past with a different focus. A new period. A new theme. A new set of questions. Or at least a bunch of new books about old stuff to read.
I start every year with a set of topics that I plan to explore. Every year some piece of the past sticks out its foot and trips me. So with caveat that an unexpected historical figure/period/event/theme will probably ambush me, here are some of the topics that I know I’m going to be thinking about in 2015:
I’m not quite sure when I became a military historian of sorts, but war is a constant in my historical universe. There are a few anniversaries in 2015 that will be hard to ignore: the ongoing centennial of World War I, the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, the bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo. I’m already in the first stages of a project related to Gettysburg and plotting a visit to the World War I exhibition at the Getty Museum.
Vikings and medieval sagas, with a nod to Nancy Marie Brown
Tough broads, whether armed with swords or only with their wits (Do not underestimate a smart woman with a metaphorical axe to grind)
Romantic nationalism, or how an interest in linguistics and poetry turned ugly
What historical topics do you see in your immediate future?