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Thesis Chapters by Ben Gilding
Abstract of my MA thesis entitled "Imperial Crises and British Political Ideology in the Age of t... more Abstract of my MA thesis entitled "Imperial Crises and British Political Ideology in the Age of the American Revolution, 1763-1773." Full thesis available for viewing at uO Research.
Permanent link:
http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31642
Papers by Ben Gilding
Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 2019
The rise and fall of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (1780–82), India’s first printed newspaper, is a narr... more The rise and fall of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (1780–82), India’s first printed newspaper, is a narrative of prime importance to the history of Indian newspapers, and such is the context within which it has invariably been written. Previous works have approached Hicky’s Gazette in a somewhat teleological and insular manner. These accounts have ignored the significance of foreign news among its content and fail to acknowledge
Hicky’s appropriation of political rhetoric from other parts of the British Empire. Through the contents of Hicky’s Gazette we find Calcutta residents engaged in a transoceanic political discourse, criticising ‘nabobs’ with all the ferocity of the
metropolitan British press; claiming the freedoms of Englishmen in common cause with the discontented, not only in Britain, but also in Ireland and America; and
participating in discussions to regulate the governance of the East India Company through petitions of grievances. In the circulation of Hicky’s paper throughout the presidencies and in the contributions of pseudonymous writers we find a
platform for the politically discontented among the European community of Bengal whose voice is otherwise muted amidst the Francis-Hastings disputes and the steady stream of ‘official’ information between Calcutta and London.
This work seeks to examine both the contemporary evidence and historiography of the controversial... more This work seeks to examine both the contemporary evidence and historiography of the controversial relationship between King George III and his advisor, mentor, and Favourite, John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. It finds that the so-called 'Whig' and 'Tory' narratives often tell us more about the historians themselves than the period they claim to have been examining. It becomes clear that legitimate constitutional concerns were raised in the early years of George III's reign and that more work needs to be done in examination of contemporary views on the British constitution in the late eighteenth century.
This work seeks to re-examine the role of the British Colonial Office in the development of plans... more This work seeks to re-examine the role of the British Colonial Office in the development of plans for the unification of the British North American provinces between 1851 and 1867 and their subsequent influence on the development of Canadian federalism as it emerged in the British North America Act, 1867. It finds that, although significant impetus came from the Canadian 'founding fathers', the Colonial Office played a considerable role in the process which culminated in Confederation in 1867. The legacy of the Colonial Office's influence on the development of Canadian federalism may be found in the now-dormant centralizing features of the Canadian constitution.
This paper examines the historiography on the British Mandate in Palestine in an attempt to deter... more This paper examines the historiography on the British Mandate in Palestine in an attempt to determine whether historians have considered the Mandate administration to have exhibited bias towards the Arabs or the Jews between 1917 and 1939. It finds that there is, perhaps not surprisingly, no consensus on the issue. For various historical and contemporary reasons, the Mandate is seen as having favoured Arabs and Jews at different times and for a wide array of reasons. This paper argues that this is the result of a particularity in the British Mandate in Palestine, one which emphasized a potentially irreconcilable 'dual obligation' to both Arabs and Jews.
This work seeks to examine the relationship between archaeology as a project of the 'mission civi... more This work seeks to examine the relationship between archaeology as a project of the 'mission civilisatrice' and the development of a French imperial consciousness and national identity. It argues that the archaeological investigations conducted as a scientific endeavour under the 'mission civilisatrice' were used to 'uncover' an ancient French presence in Algeria, one which could, in the eyes of some contemporaries, justify the French imperial project overseas.
This work seeks to trace the development of the so-called régime d'exception in Algeria in light ... more This work seeks to trace the development of the so-called régime d'exception in Algeria in light of the metropolitan Law of 1905 on the Separation of Church and State in France. It examines the reasons for which French policy-makers and colonial administrators felt the need to exclude Algeria (officially a département of France) from the laïcité laws.
Abstract of my MA thesis entitled "Imperial Crises and British Political Ideology in the Age of t... more Abstract of my MA thesis entitled "Imperial Crises and British Political Ideology in the Age of the American Revolution, 1763-1773." Full thesis available for viewing at uO Research.
Permanent link:
http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31642
Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 2019
The rise and fall of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (1780–82), India’s first printed newspaper, is a narr... more The rise and fall of Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (1780–82), India’s first printed newspaper, is a narrative of prime importance to the history of Indian newspapers, and such is the context within which it has invariably been written. Previous works have approached Hicky’s Gazette in a somewhat teleological and insular manner. These accounts have ignored the significance of foreign news among its content and fail to acknowledge
Hicky’s appropriation of political rhetoric from other parts of the British Empire. Through the contents of Hicky’s Gazette we find Calcutta residents engaged in a transoceanic political discourse, criticising ‘nabobs’ with all the ferocity of the
metropolitan British press; claiming the freedoms of Englishmen in common cause with the discontented, not only in Britain, but also in Ireland and America; and
participating in discussions to regulate the governance of the East India Company through petitions of grievances. In the circulation of Hicky’s paper throughout the presidencies and in the contributions of pseudonymous writers we find a
platform for the politically discontented among the European community of Bengal whose voice is otherwise muted amidst the Francis-Hastings disputes and the steady stream of ‘official’ information between Calcutta and London.
This work seeks to examine both the contemporary evidence and historiography of the controversial... more This work seeks to examine both the contemporary evidence and historiography of the controversial relationship between King George III and his advisor, mentor, and Favourite, John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. It finds that the so-called 'Whig' and 'Tory' narratives often tell us more about the historians themselves than the period they claim to have been examining. It becomes clear that legitimate constitutional concerns were raised in the early years of George III's reign and that more work needs to be done in examination of contemporary views on the British constitution in the late eighteenth century.
This work seeks to re-examine the role of the British Colonial Office in the development of plans... more This work seeks to re-examine the role of the British Colonial Office in the development of plans for the unification of the British North American provinces between 1851 and 1867 and their subsequent influence on the development of Canadian federalism as it emerged in the British North America Act, 1867. It finds that, although significant impetus came from the Canadian 'founding fathers', the Colonial Office played a considerable role in the process which culminated in Confederation in 1867. The legacy of the Colonial Office's influence on the development of Canadian federalism may be found in the now-dormant centralizing features of the Canadian constitution.
This paper examines the historiography on the British Mandate in Palestine in an attempt to deter... more This paper examines the historiography on the British Mandate in Palestine in an attempt to determine whether historians have considered the Mandate administration to have exhibited bias towards the Arabs or the Jews between 1917 and 1939. It finds that there is, perhaps not surprisingly, no consensus on the issue. For various historical and contemporary reasons, the Mandate is seen as having favoured Arabs and Jews at different times and for a wide array of reasons. This paper argues that this is the result of a particularity in the British Mandate in Palestine, one which emphasized a potentially irreconcilable 'dual obligation' to both Arabs and Jews.
This work seeks to examine the relationship between archaeology as a project of the 'mission civi... more This work seeks to examine the relationship between archaeology as a project of the 'mission civilisatrice' and the development of a French imperial consciousness and national identity. It argues that the archaeological investigations conducted as a scientific endeavour under the 'mission civilisatrice' were used to 'uncover' an ancient French presence in Algeria, one which could, in the eyes of some contemporaries, justify the French imperial project overseas.
This work seeks to trace the development of the so-called régime d'exception in Algeria in light ... more This work seeks to trace the development of the so-called régime d'exception in Algeria in light of the metropolitan Law of 1905 on the Separation of Church and State in France. It examines the reasons for which French policy-makers and colonial administrators felt the need to exclude Algeria (officially a département of France) from the laïcité laws.