Ornamentalism facts for kids
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| Author | Sir David Cannadine |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
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Publication date
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2001 |
| Pages | 264 |
| ISBN | 978-0195157949 |
Ornamentalism: How the British Saw Their Empire is a book written by David Cannadine. It talks about how people in Britain thought about their huge British Empire. Cannadine suggests that things like social class, a person's position, and their importance were more key to the British Empire than a person's race.
The book's title, Ornamentalism, is a nod to another famous book called Orientalism by Edward Said. Said's book discusses how people from Europe often had unfair ideas about people from the East. Cannadine's book explores a similar idea, but focuses on social status within the empire.
Contents
What the Book is About
David Cannadine's book looks at the British Empire from a new angle. He argues that the British cared more about a person's social rank and status than their race. This means that someone's position in society, like being a noble or a commoner, was often seen as more important than their skin color.
For example, a British noble might have felt more connected to a noble from India than to a working-class person from Britain. This idea challenges the common belief that race was the main way the British divided people in their empire.
Different Opinions on the Book
Ornamentalism has caused a lot of discussion among historians and the public. Some people really liked the book and found it helpful.
Positive Feedback
Stanley Hoffmann, a history professor at Harvard University, said the book was "delightful and instructive." He felt it showed a much more complex picture of the British Empire than people usually think.
Richard Gott, a journalist and historian, noted that the book offered a fresh, even romantic, way of looking at history.
Criticism and Other Views
However, some people have criticized the book. They argue that it doesn't focus enough on how important race was in the British Empire.
Fouad Ajami, a former professor of Middle Eastern history, shared this view. He believed that race played a very big part in how the empire worked.
Gyan Prakash, a history professor at Princeton University, also pointed out that "The empire itself was based on a racial divide." He felt it was impossible to ignore the role of race in the empire's structure.
See also
