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Imperial ardor or apathy? A Comparative international historiography of popular imperialism
Author(s) -
Hennessey John L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/hic3.12546
Subject(s) - historiography , expansionism , colonialism , empire , apathy , nationalism , genocide , cultural imperialism , political science , sociology , history , law , psychology , psychiatry , cognition , politics
Were the ordinary citizens of imperial metropoles during the 19th and 20th centuries arduous supporters or apathetic observers of their country's colonial expansionism, or did their relationship to empire fall somewhere in between? Although this is a central question for understanding the how and why of modern imperialism and evaluating responsibility for colonial wrongs, scholars in the only loosely knit field of popular imperialism have arrived at widely divergent answers. Complementing its companion article, “By Jingo! Methods for Researching Popular Imperialism,” this article will present an overview of the conclusions of existing studies and present ways that future studies can become more theoretically and methodologically sophisticated through inspiration from comparative and transnational history, nationalism studies, and genocide studies.