Heroic Imperialists in Africa: The Promotion of British and French Colonial Heroes, 1870–1939, by Berny Sèbe

Contested Statues: The Clive Memorial Fund, Imperial Heroes, and the Reimaginings of Indian History

“…As Berny Sèbe notes, the combination of the extension of the franchise in 1884, the rise of New Imperialism, and the power of the press shifted the notions of heroes in society as they became ever more mythologized. 31 Heroes were figures in an endlessly reworked pantheon intended to give the masses figures to emulate, especially in their energetic devotion to the British Empire. 32 But conversely, concerns over imperial decline and morality, highlighted by the South African War, also came to the fore in the exaggerated praise of historical heroes like Clive.…”