Intimate afterlives of empire (Hardcover)

Astrid Rasch

ISBN 10: 1526189178 / ISBN 13: 9781526189172

Published by Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2025

About this Item

Hardcover. Through close readings of almost twenty autobiographies written after the break-up of the British Empire, the book examines how individuals engage with the changing narrative landscape brought about by decolonisation. It considers the autobiographies less for what they may teach us about the moment remembered and more as windows on the act of remembering. This adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of the legacies of colonialism and how the ongoing process of decolonisation is reflected on the level of the individual. It argues that autobiographers are at once influenced by and seek to influence the cultural memory of empire and its legacies, and the authors own position in both. Situated at the intersection of imperial/decolonisation history, memory studies, and life writing studies, the book uncovers this intimate afterlife of empire. Intimate afterlives of empire is the first comprehensive study of an important genre of cultural memory, the post-imperial autobiography. Through close readings of personal narratives from four corners of the globe, it examines the dialogue between individual and collective memory in the wake of empire. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781526189172

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Intimate afterlives of empire (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Manchester University Press, Manchester
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526189178
• ISBN 13: 9781526189172
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Through close readings of almost twenty autobiographies written after the break-up of the British Empire, the book examines how individuals engage with the changing narrative landscape brought about by decolonisation. It considers the autobiographies less for what they may teach us about the moment remembered and more as windows on the act of remembering. This adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of the legacies of colonialism and how the ongoing process of decolonisation is reflected on the level of the individual. It argues that autobiographers are at once influenced by and seek to influence the cultural memory of empire and its legacies, and the authors’ own position in both. Situated at the intersection of imperial/decolonisation history, memory studies, and life writing studies, the book uncovers this intimate afterlife of empire.

About the Author

Astrid Rasch is a Professor of Cultural and Social Studies in English at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology