Congregational missions and the making of an imperial culture in nineteenth-century England
Book Description
This scholarly exploration reveals how nineteenth-century English missionary work shaped an entire nation's understanding of empire and cultural identity. Susan Thorne examines the powerful role that Congregational missionary societies played in influencing British popular opinion about colonial territories and the people who lived there.
Through careful analysis of missionary propaganda and communications, Thorne demonstrates how religious organizations became unexpected architects of imperial consciousness. These missionary societies possessed unique access to ordinary British citizens through their church networks, giving them extraordinary influence over how the public perceived distant lands and foreign cultures.
The study focuses specifically on English Congregationalism, tracing how missionary appeals for financial and political support consistently portrayed colonial contexts and indigenous populations in ways that reinforced imperial attitudes. Rather than operating in isolation from political concerns, these religious movements actively participated in shaping Britain's imperial culture through their regular communications with supporters at home.
This work offers valuable insights into the intersection of religious conviction and cultural formation during a pivotal period in British history. Readers interested in understanding how spiritual movements can influence broader social attitudes will find Thorne's analysis particularly illuminating. The book reveals the complex ways that missionary endeavors, while pursuing religious goals, simultaneously contributed to the development of imperial consciousness among ordinary British citizens through their extensive propaganda campaigns and popular outreach efforts.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
🕉️ Tradition: Buddhism
📄 Length: 247 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Congregationalisme
- ✓ Explore British Missions
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Social aspects
- ✓ Explore 11.55 Protestantism
- ✓ Explore Colonies
- ✓ Explore Great britain, church history
- ✓ Explore Christianity
