'All is race' : an analysis of Disraeli on race, nation and empire
This thesis explores the ways in which the Victorian Tory politician and novelist Benjamin Disraeli developed his own racial thinking. In response to the anti-Semitism of the period he became convinced that race was the key to understand how society worked. The thesis traces his use of the category of race as a key axis of social difference and how race intersected in his thinking with class, culture, gender and nation and empire. It analyses his development of a one-nation-politics discussing his social criticism and his focus on those who were marginal to the mid-Victorian nation â working-class men, the Irish and women. The thesis demonstrates how in his attempt to integrate the Irish into this unified nation he increasingly came to categorise their militant separatism as the cause of Irelandâs misery. It investigates his conception of the politics of empire and how it was bound together with his one-nation vision and it outlines the ways in which his doctrine of race legitimated his imperial interventions. Drawing on all available sources of Disraeliâs thought, the thesis is a historically embedded discourse analysis that utilizes methods from political history, social and cultural history, biographical
Borgstede, S. B.
'All is race' : an analysis of Disraeli on race, nation and empire. This thesis explores the ways in which the Victorian Tory politician and novelist Benjamin Disraeli developed his own racial thinking. In response to the anti-Semitism of the period he became convinced that race was the key to understand how society worked. The thesis traces his use of the category of race as a key axis of social difference and how race intersected in his thinking with class, culture, gender and nation and empire. It analyses his development of a one-nation-politics discussing his social criticism and his focus on those who were marginal to the mid-Victorian nation â working-class men, the Irish and women. The thesis demonstrates how in his attempt to integrate the Irish into this unified nation he increasingly came to categorise their militant separatism as the cause of Irelandâs misery. It investigates his conception of the politics of empire and how it was bound together with his one-nation vision and it outlines the ways in which his doctrine of race legitimated his imperial interventions. Drawing on all available sources of Disraeliâs thought, the thesis is a historically embedded discourse analysis that utilizes methods from political history, social and cultural history, biographical
all race analysis race nation empire explores_way victorian tory politician novelist benjamin develop racial thinking response anti_semitism period become race key society work trace use category race key axis social difference race intersect think class culture gender nation empire analysis development nation politics discuss social_criticism focus marginal mid_victorian nation working_class men irish woman demonstrates attempt integrate irish unify nation increasingly come categorise militant cause ireland investigates conception politics empire bound_together nation vision outline way doctrine race legitimate imperial intervention drawing available_source think historically embedded discourse_analysis utilizes method political_history social_cultural history biographical