Colonial Australia, the 1887 Colonial Conference, and the struggle for imperial unity

Journal article


Mountford, Benjamin. (2019). Colonial Australia, the 1887 Colonial Conference, and the struggle for imperial unity. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History. 47(5), pp. 912-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2019.1677341
AuthorsMountford, Benjamin
Abstract

For historians interested in the settler colonial world, one of Professor John Darwin’s most important interventions has been to argue for the reintegration of the dominions into the wider history of the British empire. In re-engaging with the history of Britain’s white settler colonies in North America, Australasia, and South Africa, Darwin’s work has sought to emphasize the place of the dominions in relation to the rise and fall of the British world system, as well as their value as vantage points from which to consider imperial and global history more generally. In this regard, Darwin’s systemic approach has encouraged a more dynamic conception of ‘British world’ history – one deeply embedded in a series of overlapping imperial, regional, and international contexts. This article focuses on a particular moment in imperial history where some of the internal dynamics of the late-Victorian British world system, and the changing place of the settler colonies within it, were brought into sharp relief: the 1887 Colonial Conference. It argues that we might look to the conference as a valuable window onto the impact of Anglo-Australian relations upon the wider struggle for imperial unity in the 1880s.

Keywordsempire; british world; greater britain; imperial federation; australia; colonial conference; british foreign policy; lord salisbury
Year2019
JournalThe Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Journal citation47 (5), pp. 912-942
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1743-9329
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2019.1677341
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85074282002
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range912-942
Publisher's version
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All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online30 Oct 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited17 Dec 2021
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