European University Institute Library

Extreme violence and the 'British way', colonial warfare in Perak, Sierra Leone and Sudan, Michelle Gordon

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

Extreme violence and the 'British way'

electronic resource

bibliographydictionaries

1178869486

Michelle Gordon

Bloomsbury eBooks.Empire's other histories

colonial warfare in Perak, Sierra Leone and Sudan

"Analysing three cases of British colonial violence that occurred in the latter half of the 19th century, this book argues that all three share commonalities, including the role of racial prejudices in justifying the perpetration of extreme colonial violence. Exploring the connections and comparisons between the Perak War (1875-76), the 'Hut Tax' Revolt in Sierra Leone (1898-99) and the Anglo-Egyptian War of Reconquest in the Sudan (1896-99), Gordon highlights the significance of decision-making processes, communication between London and the periphery and the influence of individual colonial administrators in outbreaks of violence. This study reveals the ways in which racial prejudices, the advocacy of a British 'civilising mission' and British racial 'superiority' informed colonial administrators' decisions on the ground, as well as the rationalisation of extreme violence. Responding to a neglect of British colonial atrocities within the historiography of colonial violence, this work demonstrates the ways in which Britain was just as willing and able as other European Empires to resort to extreme measures in the face of indigenous resistance or threats to the British imperial project"--, Provided by publisher

Introduction: The Place of Colonial Violence within the History of the British Empire -- A 'Little War' in Perak: British Intervention, 1875- -- British Suppression of the 'Hut Tax' War in Sierra Leone, 1898- -- The Anglo-Egyptian Reconquest of Sudan, 1896- -- Conclusion: Was there a British Way in Colonial Warfare?

Colonial warfare in Perak, Sierra Leone and Sudan