Unhomely Empire
Book Description
In an era when millions of people found themselves displaced across continents, profound questions about belonging and identity emerged that continue to shape our understanding of home today. Onni Gust examines how eighteenth-century British thinkers grappled with the spiritual and psychological dimensions of displacement, exile, and the search for belonging during a period of unprecedented global movement.
Through careful analysis of poetry, personal letters, philosophical writings, and political discourse, this scholarly exploration reveals how concepts of home and exile became powerful tools for defining who could claim membership in civilized society. Gust traces these ideas through three compelling case studies: the experiences of enslaved peoples in the Caribbean, Scottish Highland emigrants seeking new lives in North America, and British families raising children in colonial India.
The book illuminates how intellectual debates about belonging played a crucial role in constructing racial hierarchies and determining who deserved inclusion in the broader human community. By examining diaries, travel accounts, and philosophical treatises, Gust demonstrates how these eighteenth-century conversations about displacement and identity created lasting frameworks for understanding difference and belonging.
For readers interested in the historical roots of contemporary questions about identity, belonging, and spiritual home, this work offers valuable insights into how our ancestors wrestled with fundamental questions about what it means to belong somewhere and to someone.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 256 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Understand psychological principles
- ✓ Explore Emigration and immigration in literature
- ✓ Explore Home in literature
- ✓ Explore Race identity
- ✓ Explore History of ideas
- ✓ Explore Whites
- ✓ Explore Colonies
- ✓ Explore History
