Imperial Geographies of Home: British Domesticity in India, 1886–1925 |
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Authors: | Alison Blunt |
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Institution: | Department of Geography, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS email: |
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Abstract: | This paper considers the translation of domestic discourses over imperial space as middle-class British women established homes in India from 1886 to 1925. Unlike studies of imperial domesticity that delineate separate spheres of home and empire, I consider the exercise of imperial power on a domestic scale, by examining advice given in household guides on managing servants and raising British children in India. Rather than view the household merely as confining, I also explore the advice given to British women regarding travel outside their homes in India. The domestic roles of British women reproduced imperial power relations on a household scale, and the political significance of imperial domesticity extended beyond the boundaries of the home. |
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Keywords: | British India imperial domesticity household guides home women servants |
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