Material Cultures of Empire

Charney, Michael W.; MacKenzie, John M.

Abstract

The material culture of empires involves aspects of the cultural reciprocities of imperial rule. The concept can cover the material items used in the course of the establishment and administration of imperial rule. It could include technology, weaponry, statuary, monuments, and tombs. It can also embrace the items that are adopted by subordinate peoples and are sometimes turned against their rulers. It can additionally refer to the manner in which dominant powers have a tendency to collect the materials of subordinate peoples, in modern times placing them in museums. This process underwent significant change as Britain and others, notably France, shifted their imperial interests from the settler colonies of North America to the non-Western world, in particular India and Africa. Collecting and representing cultural objects became an important part of empire-building and of imperial identity.

Citation

Charney, M. W., & MacKenzie, J. M. (2015). Material Cultures of Empire. In J. M. MacKenzie, N. R. Dalziel, N. Doumanis, & M. W. Charney (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Empire; 4 vols. Wiley Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe317

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2016
• Book Title: The Encyclopedia of Empire; 4 vols
• ISBN: 9781118455074
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe317