Wm. Roger Louis

British History, Literature, & Politics

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor. The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography and autobiography for example not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. This is a requirement of the course. In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world as well as the lives of those within the British Isles? In the first half of the seminar, students read books that will stimulate curiosity about those questions.   During the opening weeks, the focus is on Latin America, the Middle East and Africa as well as India.  Latin America provides the background for discussion on ‘informal empire’.  

One of the main requirements is met by students submitting a weekly critique of the reading assignments.  Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance.  The seminar thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. 

This is a research seminar.  In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  Two documentary series will be studied as a primary sources, the British Transfer of Power series and the Indian Towards Freedom series.  The requirement is a research paper of about 20 double-spaced pages.

Again, drafts of the research papers are circulated to all members of the seminar for annotation, comment and discussion.

The seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) accuracy and attention to detail; (4) lucid and succinct style; (5) capacity for hard work.  

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%); the weekly critiques (25 %); and the research paper (50%).  

Reading Schedule

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight                         September 6

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy            September 13

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians                    September 20

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope                                                        September 27

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal                                       October 4

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)                                                                      October 11

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman                                                                 October 18

October 25: Discussion of Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman

November 1: Discussion of research topics

November 8: first batch of three research papers (draft of first six pages)

November 15: second batch of research papers

November 22: third batch of research papers

November  29: discussion of research papers

December 6: research papers due

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Wm. Roger Louis

Kerr Professor of English History and Culture and Distinguished Teaching Professor

B.A. University of Oklahoma, 1959

M.A. Harvard University, 1960

D.Phil. Oxford University, 1962

D. Litt. Oxford University, 1979

Assistant and Associate Professor, Yale University, 1962-1970

Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin, 1970-1985

Director of British Studies, 1975 —

Kerr Professor 1985 — 

Fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, 1986 —

UT Distinguished Teaching Professor, 1999 — 

Editor-in-Chief, Oxford History of the British Empire, 1992 —

Appointed Commander of the British Empire by the Queen for professional service, 1999

President of American Historical Association, 2001

Founding Director, AHA National History Center, 2001 —

US State Department Historical Advisory Committee, 2003 – 2009 (resigned on principle)

U.T. Professor of the Year, 2009

Kluge Chair, Library of Congress, 2010

Author or editor of some thirty books including Ends of British Imperialism (2006)

Edited books include Adventures with Britannia; More Adventures with Britannia; Still More Adventures with Britannia; Yet More Adventures with Britannia; Penultimate Adventures with Britannia; Ultimate Adventures with Britannia; Resurgent Adventures with Britannia; and Burnt Orange Britannia

Harry Ransom Center 3.202

512-471-9274

britishstudies@mail.utexas.edu                                               hlg23@georgetown.edu

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Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259.

British History, Literature, & Politics

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an individual reading list in consultation with the professor. The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world. One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian and African as well as early American dimensions. Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography and autobiography for example not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic interests are pursued. The class also meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o'clock Friday afternoons. This is a requirement of the course. In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity, (2) conceptual clarity; (3) flexibility, that is, the capacity to engage with alternative perspectives and new information; (4) accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work (7) enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is the ability to speculate and compare, alongside the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world and also the lives of those within the British Isles?  The general aim is to study the history of the British Empire with the advantage of a post-colonial perspective on the ruled as well as the rulers, on the colonized as well as the colonizers.

Some forty years ago Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher wrote a challenging book that has established itself as a classic.  They argue in Africa and the Victorians that the partition of Africa and parts of the Middle East in the late nineteenth century was no more than a footnote to the British Raj in India, and that the African continent was partitioned essentially for political and strategic reasons, not for economic exploitation.  Whether one agrees with their interpretation or not, they have provided an analysis that offers an alternative to economic theories of imperialism.

The ‘Robinson and Gallagher Controversy’ provides the basis for the discussion in the first part of the seminar, which will deal principally with Africa and the Middle East, especially Egypt.  

In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  The Transfer of Power documentary series will be studied as a primary source.  The reading includes Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal, R.J. Moore, Escape from Empire, and Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru.

This is a research seminar.  The chronological focus in the fall semester 2010 will be the twentieth century (especially India in the 1940s).  The sequel to the course, on decolonization, will be offered in the spring semester.

Texts 

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians 

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight 

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope  

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman 

Grades 

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%).  

December 22, 2010

British History, Literature and Politics—Spring Semester 2011

(Meets voluntarily with Faculty Seminar on British Studies Fridays 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.;

thereafter regular seminar hours are 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.)

History 384K, E392M, GOV 390L

Spring Semester 2011 W. Roger Louis

HRC 3.206 HRC 3.202

Friday 4:30-7:30 p.m. Office Hours Thursday 2-3

and by Appointment

This seminar is designed as a reading course in history, literature, and politics, and as a class in

professional writing. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student draws up an

individual reading list in consultation with the professor.

The scope of the seminar includes not only the literature, history and politics of England, Wales,

Scotland, and Ireland but also the interaction of British and other societies throughout the world.

One point of emphasis will be the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in its Asian

and African as well as early American dimensions.

Another point will be a focus on historical and literary biography—and autobiography—for

example, not only Disraeli, Virginia Woolf, T. E. Lawrence, and George Orwell but also Gandhi.

The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book or its equivalent each

week and by submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly essays is circulated

to all other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. The class

thus becomes as much a course in professional writing as one in which individual academic

interests are pursued.

The class also voluntarily meets together with the British Studies faculty seminar at three o’clock

Friday afternoons.

In a general way, the seminar upholds the principles of the Modern History Faculty at Oxford—

to enhance (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4)

accuracy and attention to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7)

enthusiasm for history, literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding,

that is, the possession of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it.

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in seminar discussion (25%) and quality

of the weekly critiques (75%).

Reading List—The following works are required: Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians;

Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf; Norman Davies, The Isles

Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement,

Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259.

This research seminar will discuss the causes of British expansion in the nineteenth century and the reactions to British conquest and rule.  How did the British manage to establish colonial sway over a quarter of the globe? What were the aims of British colonial administration?  How did the Empire affect the lives of Asians, Africans and others throughout the world and also the lives of those within the British Isles?  The general aim is to study the history of the British Empire with the advantage of a post-colonial perspective on the ruled as well as the rulers, on the colonized as well as the colonizers.

Some forty years ago Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher wrote a challenging book that has established itself as a classic.  They argue in Africa and the Victorians that the partition of Africa and parts of the Middle East in the late nineteenth century was no more than a footnote to the British Raj in India, and that the African continent was partitioned essentially for political and strategic reasons, not for economic exploitation.  Whether one agrees with their interpretation or not, they have provided an analysis that offers an alternative to economic theories of imperialism.

The ‘Robinson and Gallagher Controversy’ provides the basis for the discussion in the first part of the seminar, which will deal principally with Africa and the Middle East, especially Egypt.  

In the latter part of the seminar, the focus will shift to India as an example of British rule and the problem of Indian independence in 1947.  The Transfer of Power documentary series will be studied as a primary source.  The reading includes Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal; R.J. Moore: Escape from Empire; and Sarvepalli Gopal: Nehru.

This is a research seminar.  The chronological focus in the fall semester 2010 will be the twentieth century (especially India in the 1940s).  The sequel to the course, on decolonization, will be offered in the spring semester.

Grading

Grades are determined by attendance and participation in discussion (25%) and the quality of the final research paper (75%).  

Texts

Ronald Robinson and John Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians 

W. R. Louis, Imperialism: The Robinson and Gallagher Controversy

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Freedom at Midnight 

Judith Brown, Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope  

Penderel Moon, ed., Wavell: The Viceroy’s Journal

Sarvepalli Gopal, Nehru (vol. 1)

Ayesha Jalal, The Sole Spokesman