War on the frontier
This article explores current historical thinking regarding the ‘small wars’ fought on the frontiers of European empires during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By drawing on a variety of examples ranging from South Africa to Bolivia and Australia to the Congo, the authors iden...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Newcastle
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education |
| Online Access: | https://www.hej-hermes.net/10-2/10.201 |
| _version_ | 1797383021741998080 |
|---|---|
| author | Mario Draper Martin Kerby Margaret Baguley |
| author_facet | Mario Draper Martin Kerby Margaret Baguley |
| author_sort | Mario Draper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores current historical thinking regarding the ‘small wars’ fought on the frontiers of European empires during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By drawing on a variety of examples ranging from South Africa to Bolivia and Australia to the Congo, the authors identify three major themes - the expansionist aims of imperial governments often being shrouded in a veneer of benevolence, the brutal fighting that occurred when Indigenous populations challenged the loss of traditional lands, and the speed with which the ostensibly ‘civilised’ European colonists discarded battlefield norms when they waged what were in effect wars of annihilation. In a challenge to the thematic or narrow temporal boundaries that have traditionally dominated scholarship, the authors avoid characterising these wars in discrete national terms. For though every frontier conflict possessed its own unique character, there are broad similarities that can be explored through an analysis of European thinking regarding these ‘small wars’ and the violence and destruction that accompanied them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:14:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-decd573f92de4cb990e57b9cdc398d36 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2203-7543 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:14:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Newcastle |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-decd573f92de4cb990e57b9cdc398d362023-12-22T03:55:41ZengUniversity of NewcastleHistorical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education2203-75432023-12-0110211110.52289/hej10.201War on the frontierMario Draperhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7240-343XMartin Kerbyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4073-2559Margaret Baguleyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0098-6378 This article explores current historical thinking regarding the ‘small wars’ fought on the frontiers of European empires during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By drawing on a variety of examples ranging from South Africa to Bolivia and Australia to the Congo, the authors identify three major themes - the expansionist aims of imperial governments often being shrouded in a veneer of benevolence, the brutal fighting that occurred when Indigenous populations challenged the loss of traditional lands, and the speed with which the ostensibly ‘civilised’ European colonists discarded battlefield norms when they waged what were in effect wars of annihilation. In a challenge to the thematic or narrow temporal boundaries that have traditionally dominated scholarship, the authors avoid characterising these wars in discrete national terms. For though every frontier conflict possessed its own unique character, there are broad similarities that can be explored through an analysis of European thinking regarding these ‘small wars’ and the violence and destruction that accompanied them.https://www.hej-hermes.net/10-2/10.201 |
| spellingShingle | Mario Draper Martin Kerby Margaret Baguley War on the frontier Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education |
| title | War on the frontier |
| title_full | War on the frontier |
| title_fullStr | War on the frontier |
| title_full_unstemmed | War on the frontier |
| title_short | War on the frontier |
| title_sort | war on the frontier |
| url | https://www.hej-hermes.net/10-2/10.201 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariodraper waronthefrontier AT martinkerby waronthefrontier AT margaretbaguley waronthefrontier |