The Rhetoric of Empire: Imperial Discourse and the Language of Colonial Conflict

The Rhetoric of Empire: Imperial Discourse and the Language of Colonial Conflict

A two-day conference hosted by Exeter University’s Centre for War, State and Society, 22 - 23 May 2014

Why did imperialist language become so pervasive in Britain, France and elsewhere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? What rhetorical devices did political and military leaders, administrators, investors and lobbyists use to justify colonial domination before domestic and foreign audiences? And how far did their colonial opponents mobilize a different rhetoric of rights and freedoms to challenge imperialist discourse? These are some of the questions that we hope to address during this two-day conference, which is funded under a three-year Leverhulme Trust research project led by Professors Martin Thomas and Richard Toye.

For the full programme and booking details, please follow the link to the History conference page.