Drawing the Global Colour Line

Abstract

In 1900 W. E. B. DuBois prophesied that the colour line would be the key problem of the twentieth-century and he later identified one of its key dynamics: the new religion of whiteness that was sweeping the world. Whereas most historians have confined their studies of race-relations to a national framework, this book studies the transnational circulation of people and ideas, racial knowledge and technologies that under-pinned the construction of self-styled white men's countries from South Africa, to North America and Australasia. Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds show how in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century these countries worked in solidarity to exclude those they defined as not-white, actions that provoked a long international struggle for racial equality. Their findings make clear the centrality of struggles around mobility and sovereignty to modern formulations of both race and human rights.

Royal tourists, colonial subjects and the making of a British world, 1860-1911

“…Chamberlain would assure him of his loyalty and indicated that other proposals for visits, from Canada, for instance, could still be considered until later stages in the planning process. 109 George similarly proposed to Chamberlain that Canada might be reconsidered at a later time. 110 They had got what they wanted and could seek more concessions from the reluctant imperial monarch later.…”

“…108 The Maori king, they claimed, wanted to see him , the prince of the Queen, for, 'although the Governor represents the power and authority of your Mother … you are Her own Child; You are the Queen Herself; therefore it is that the Maori tribes long to see your face'. 109 The chiefs assumed that the prince's presence would be helpful to negotiations between the government and the King movement.…”

“…Philip Wodehouse, the Governor of Bombay, conveyed his 'fear that some of the Native Princes, so tenacious of their privileges, might resent any disregard of their rights in matters of ceremony & etiquette, especially with regard to the exchange of visits'. 121 British officials in India obsessed over gun salutes, ceremonial rankings, and placement to such a degree that it is rather difficult to determine where Indian practices ended and British fantasies began.…”

“…The Daily Southern Cross compared the excess and waste of Wellington's royal welcome to Auckland's more sombre and efficient plans to welcome Alfred. 109 While New Zealanders were loyal to their Queen and their homeland, given the circumstances, they were in no mood to expend precious funds on triumphal arches and welcome dinners. Other writers lampooned the local celebration of Aucklanders as the most loyal citizen-subjects of Queen Victoria in all the empire, positing that Aucklanders were 'as loyal as the average subjects of the empire, and neither less nor more'.…”

“…120 Upon witnessing crowds gathered the meet the prince, Bowen failed to stop the carriages so that Alfred might spend a few moments interacting with his mother's subjects. 121 In the language of social control, the editors of the Evening Standard asserted: 'where Kings, Queens, and Princes are concerned, these people are easily pleased, and it is therefore a greater pity to lose any opportunity of pleasing the people during a visit like the present'. 122 As far as they were concerned, the governor had missed crucial opportunities not only for binding New Zealand closer to Britain but also, and perhaps more importantly, for securing the obedience of the lower classes.…”