Monash University – förlag

Orb and Sceptre brings together recent cutting-edge work on British imperialism by Australian researchers closely associated with Norman Etherington, one of Australia’s most eminent scholars in this field. Orb and Sceptre reflects the trajectory of British Empire history in the academy over the last forty years. Demands for new nationalist histories for decolonised territories have combined with renewed attention to the role of the periphery in the making and unmaking of empires. This has formed an explosive mix that has blown apart traditional conceptions of Empire and Commonwealth history.The colonial construction of knowledge is a principal theme in Orb and Sceptre. Former colonies and dependencies looked to a fresh generation of historians to write their histories, generally conceived as grand narratives of escape from imperial shackles. At the same time, a new wave of scholars influenced by feminism, neo-Marxism, dependency theory and postcolonialism laid the groundwork for a renaissance in Empire and Commonwealth history. These historians have been rediscovering the links that continue to connect former colonies to their imperial pasts.

Drawing the Line: Using Cartoons as Historical Evidence brings together essays from international scholars working with cartoons in their research and teaching. It is a showcase for some of the best recent scholarship in this field, with articles exploring racial and ethnic stereotypes, as well as representations of youth, gender and class across a number of key historical epochs. Cartoons are among the most vivid and familiar images of past politics and opinion, but tend to be used merely as ‘illustrations’ for historical works. Drawing the Line, however, provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of cartoons as sources in their own right. The British Regency Crisis, post-Civil War US politics, Anglo-Iraqi interaction in the Second World War, and Yugoslav Communist propaganda are just some of the themes through which the effective use of cartoons in historical writing is explored. Readers will also find guidance and suggestions for further research on cartoons in the extensive introductory and concluding sections. The book includes more than one hundred examples of the most brilliant cartoon art of the past, from eighteenth-century satirical prints, to the formalised satire of Punch, to the new and ever-evolving medium of webcomics. It will be an essential resource for students and teachers wanting to explore visual representations of the past, and will appeal to all readers interested in innovative ways of writing history.