Edmund Burke and the Conservative Logic of Empire

Nonfiction, History, British
Cover of the book Edmund Burke and the Conservative Logic of Empire by Daniel O'Neill, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Daniel O'Neill ISBN: 9780520962866
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: March 1, 2016
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Daniel O'Neill
ISBN: 9780520962866
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: March 1, 2016
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

Edmund Burke, long considered modern conservatism’s founding father, is also widely believed to be an opponent of empire. However, Daniel O’Neill turns that latter belief on its head. This fresh and innovative book shows that Burke was a passionate supporter and staunch defender of the British Empire in the eighteenth century, whether in the New World, India, or Ireland.  Moreover—and against a growing body of contemporary scholarship that rejects the very notion that Burke was an exemplar of conservatism—O’Neill demonstrates that Burke’s defense of empire was in fact ideologically consistent with his conservative opposition to the French Revolution. Burke’s logic of empire relied on two opposing but complementary theoretical strategies: Ornamentalism, which stressed cultural similarities between “civilized” societies, as he understood them, and Orientalism, which stressed the putative cultural differences distinguishing “savage” societies from their “civilized” counterparts. This incisive book also shows that Burke’s argument had lasting implications, as his development of these two justifications for empire prefigured later intellectual defenses of British imperialism. 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Edmund Burke, long considered modern conservatism’s founding father, is also widely believed to be an opponent of empire. However, Daniel O’Neill turns that latter belief on its head. This fresh and innovative book shows that Burke was a passionate supporter and staunch defender of the British Empire in the eighteenth century, whether in the New World, India, or Ireland.  Moreover—and against a growing body of contemporary scholarship that rejects the very notion that Burke was an exemplar of conservatism—O’Neill demonstrates that Burke’s defense of empire was in fact ideologically consistent with his conservative opposition to the French Revolution. Burke’s logic of empire relied on two opposing but complementary theoretical strategies: Ornamentalism, which stressed cultural similarities between “civilized” societies, as he understood them, and Orientalism, which stressed the putative cultural differences distinguishing “savage” societies from their “civilized” counterparts. This incisive book also shows that Burke’s argument had lasting implications, as his development of these two justifications for empire prefigured later intellectual defenses of British imperialism. 

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Dangerous Digestion by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Tales of High Priests and Taxes by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Hymns for the Fallen by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume II by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Silk, Slaves, and Stupas by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Eugenic Nation by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Film Criticism, the Cold War, and the Blacklist by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book One Nation under AARP by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book From 1989, or European Music and the Modernist Unconscious by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book The Principia: The Authoritative Translation by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Birthing a Mother by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book The Missionary's Curse and Other Tales from a Chinese Catholic Village by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Risk Terrain Modeling by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book States of Delinquency by Daniel O'Neill
Cover of the book Green is the Orator by Daniel O'Neill
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy