Contact Zones of the First World War
Cultural Encounters across the British Empire

The first in-depth and comparative study of the experience of colonial encounters for troops from the British Empire during the First World War.

Anna Maguire (Author)

9781108833875, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 August 2021

300 pages
23.5 x 15 x 1.9 cm, 0.51 kg

'Anna Maguire has written a powerful and moving history of the ways that the First World War created new encounters between men mobilised from different parts of the British Empire. Based on meticulous research, this fascinating book reveals how the conflict both consolidated and challenged cultures of racism and of imperialism at the intimate level of human contact.' Heather Jones, University College London

This is the first in-depth and comparative study of the experience of colonial encounters for troops from the British Empire during the First World War. Drawing on a rich variety of textual and visual material, Anna Maguire explores new contact zones that materialised beyond the battlefield, on troopships, in ports, in military camps and hospitals, in cafes and city streets. She reveals how the colonial mobilisation of troops during the conflict prompted the emergence of spaces for interactions, fleeting moments or ongoing relationships. Through their personal experiences, she uncovers how men from New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies viewed themselves and their identities during a time of global conflict, simultaneously asserting the strength of the existing colonial order and challenging its enactment, through contact, conflict and collaboration. In spaces away from the frontlines, Maguire uses these cultural encounters of colonial troops to offer a more intricate understanding of imperial power relations.

Introduction
1. Contexts: The British Empire Goes To War
2. Wartime Journeys: Troopships and Ports
3. At Camp: Encounters under Khaki and Canvas
4. On Leave: Tourism as Encounter
5. Behind the Lines: Encounters with Civilians
6. On the Wards: Hospitals and Encounters
7. Legacies: The Aftermath of Encounter.

Subject Areas: Military life & institutions [JWT], First World War [HBWN], Military history [HBW], Colonialism & imperialism [HBTQ], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW]