The Imperial Archive

Knowledge and the Fantasy of Empire

By: Thomas Richards

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Paperback | 17 November 1993 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
188 Pages

Age
18

Dimensions(cm)
21.6 x 13.8 x 1.3

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Nineteenth-century Britain could be seen as the first information society in history—for the simple reason that it accumulated knowledge from the far-flung corners of its empire faster than it could easily digest it. The British Empire presented a vast administrative challenge; by meeting that challenge through maps and surveys, censuses and statistics, Victorian administrators developed a new symbiosis of knowledge and power. The narratives of the late nineteenth century are full of fantasies about an empire united not by force or civil control but by information.

In The Imperial Archive, Thomas Richards analyzes the ways in which the Victorian organization of knowledge was enlisted into the service of the British Empire, as fields like biology, geography and geology began to function almost as extensions of British intelligence. Richards argues that the techniques invented for managing this information explosion established an enduring axis between knowledge and the state and also suggested a powerful new direction for the novel. He illustrates his argument by careful reference to a variety of institutions—above all the growth of the museum—and texts, including works by Rudyard Kipling, Erskine Childers, H.G. Wells and Bram Stoker.

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Non-Fiction Literature, Poetry & Plays History & Criticism of Literature Sociology & Anthropology History General & World History Specific Events & Topics in History Colonialism & Imperialism Earliest Times to Present Day Modern History from 1700 to 1900

Acknowledgements
Introduction	p. 1
Archive and Utopia	p. 11
Archive and Form	p. 45
Archive and Entropy	p. 73
The Archive and Its Double	p. 111
Notes	p. 153
Index	p. 173
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

The Imperial Archive

Knowledge and the Fantasy of Empire

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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