Burdens of History: British Feminists, Indian Women, and Imperial Culture, 1865-1915

Burton offers a complex, highly effective look at some of the complexities of imperialism. Not content to explore the traditional subjects of empire, Burton analyzes a wider form in which even feminist movements progressive in some senses built off imperial complicity and disturbing subtext. Recommended reading for those at all engaged with study of imperialism, gender or British identity in the nineteenth century.

Normally, I start with praise for the book, but I feel that I have to get something stated right out front - the book was not quite what I expected. It was a fantastic book, with great research used to back up the author's thesis, but the name is somewhat misleading - I thought that when the author said "Imperial Culture", she would be referring to culture throughout the British Empire, or at least in several different countries. Unfortunately, she focuses almost exclusively on India and Turkey (which really isn't even a British colony). After I accepted the fact that the author was going to focus on India & Indian women, I found that I really enjoyed the book. The author's premise is that British feminists impacted Imperial culture through their actions. Her theories are well defended, and use great primary source material (such as contemporary journals and pamphlets, along with written documents from the participants). Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in British Feminism, Indian women in Victorian & Edwardian era Imperial Britain, or one looking for an understanding of how female suffragettes in Britain really pushed their case for female emancipation.

The first customer review of this book (by a reader in Atlanta) is completely off. It was obviously written by someone with an ax to grind, but it is not representative of Burton's work. Burdens of History is a nuanced and thoughtful examination of the role of British women both in relation to their efforts to secure the vote, but also (for lack of a better word) their "complicity" in the imperial project. This is not a matter of anachronistically applying 20th c. liberal ideas to a 19th c. imperial context. Only someone who skimmed the book could think this. This is a wonderful book which has rightfully earned Burton wide-spread respect throughout the field of British imperial history.