Empire And Sexuality: The British Experience (Studies in Imperialism) [Hardcover]

Ronald Hyam (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0719025044 | ISBN-13: 978-0719025044 | Publication Date: June 1990

This study of British imperial history has been aimed at those who are interested in exploring the underlying realities of British expansion on the world stage. This book deals specifically with sex and its effect on the Empire. The book discusses the differences between the private lives and public responsibilities of the men who ran the Empire. It examines the issues of marriage, celibacy and women, Victorian sexuality and sexual opportunity. It covers the variety of communities in the Empire - plantations, trading posts, mining compounds, convict settlements, mission stations and settler communities - and discusses sexual life in India with emphasis on promiscuity and the resulting levels of venereal disease in the Indian Army. The book also discusses the problems resulting from polygamy, the relationship between poverty and prostitution and the issue of white slavery. It examines the change in sexual attitudes during the Edwardian era and cites specific cases, tragedies and scandals, including the Silberrad case, the Crewe circular and the "Purity Campaign", resulting from sexual encounters. Finally, the author draws conclusions from the articles and essays included in the book and relates the issues of race, sex and the Empire, finally concluding that in his opinion a return to Victorian sexual values is the last thing the world needs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Manchester Univ Pr (June 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719025044
• ISBN-13: 978-0719025044
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,741,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, no punches pulled, March 10, 2001

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"otto_von_blotto" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire and Sexuality (Studies in Imperalism) (Paperback)

Hyam walks a thin line in this book, that between the Scylla of condoning or trivializing concubinage and the Charybdis of its single-minded condemnation. He begins with non-technical coverage of the psychology of sexuality, and proceeds to contrast official attitudes and the Purity Campaign with imperial scandal and many highlights from individuals important in the history of British Empire. He is convincing in his central thesis on the origins of these conflicts. This book focuses mainly on India, and deals particularly with how British sexual attitudes influenced race relations.