Contact Zones of the First World War: Cultural Encounters across the British Empire
Cambridge University Press, 8/26/2021
EAN 9781108833875, ISBN10: 110883387X
Hardcover, 300 pages, 23.5 x 15.9 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
This is the first in-depth and comparative study of the experience of colonial encounters for troops from the British Empire during the First World War. Drawing on a rich variety of textual and visual material, Anna Maguire explores new contact zones that materialised beyond the battlefield, on troopships, in ports, in military camps and hospitals, in cafes and city streets. She reveals how the colonial mobilisation of troops during the conflict prompted the emergence of spaces for interactions, fleeting moments or ongoing relationships. Through their personal experiences, she uncovers how men from New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies viewed themselves and their identities during a time of global conflict, simultaneously asserting the strength of the existing colonial order and challenging its enactment, through contact, conflict and collaboration. In spaces away from the frontlines, Maguire uses these cultural encounters of colonial troops to offer a more intricate understanding of imperial power relations.
Introduction
1. Contexts
The British Empire Goes To War
2. Wartime Journeys
Troopships and Ports
3. At Camp
Encounters under Khaki and Canvas
4. On Leave
Tourism as Encounter
5. Behind the Lines
Encounters with Civilians
6. On the Wards
Hospitals and Encounters
7. Legacies
The Aftermath of Encounter.