India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech
In January 2003 Enoch Powell's personal archive was opened to the public. The release shed new light on the nature of Powell's thought on immigration, and in particular, his reasons for making the so-called ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech of 1968. Historians have suggested t...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2007
|
| _version_ | 1826275746963783680 |
|---|---|
| author | Brooke, PTF |
| author_facet | Brooke, PTF |
| author_sort | Brooke, PTF |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | In January 2003 Enoch Powell's personal archive was opened to the public. The release shed new light on the nature of Powell's thought on immigration, and in particular, his reasons for making the so-called ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech of 1968. Historians have suggested that Powell's primary concern was a post-imperialist desire to sever all links with the New Commonwealth. However, papers written immediately after Powell's time in India (1943–6) reveal that his objections to immigration were established long before he abandoned his fierce love of empire in 1954. These objections were rooted in a seemingly liberal commitment to national homogeneity as a prerequisite for democracy. The imagery, reasoning, and political context of Powell's speeches in 1968 demonstrate a striking continuity with his ideas of 1946. Powell's example suggests that British attitudes to mass immigration may owe more to the experience of empire than to post-war changes in national identity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:03:29Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:62fcccbe-a079-43b7-aaa4-9695beb51298 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:03:29Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:62fcccbe-a079-43b7-aaa4-9695beb512982022-03-26T18:09:48ZIndia, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speechJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:62fcccbe-a079-43b7-aaa4-9695beb51298EnglishSymplectic ElementsCambridge University Press2007Brooke, PTFIn January 2003 Enoch Powell's personal archive was opened to the public. The release shed new light on the nature of Powell's thought on immigration, and in particular, his reasons for making the so-called ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech of 1968. Historians have suggested that Powell's primary concern was a post-imperialist desire to sever all links with the New Commonwealth. However, papers written immediately after Powell's time in India (1943–6) reveal that his objections to immigration were established long before he abandoned his fierce love of empire in 1954. These objections were rooted in a seemingly liberal commitment to national homogeneity as a prerequisite for democracy. The imagery, reasoning, and political context of Powell's speeches in 1968 demonstrate a striking continuity with his ideas of 1946. Powell's example suggests that British attitudes to mass immigration may owe more to the experience of empire than to post-war changes in national identity. |
| spellingShingle | Brooke, PTF India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title | India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title_full | India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title_fullStr | India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title_full_unstemmed | India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title_short | India, post-imperialism and the origins of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood’ speech |
| title_sort | india post imperialism and the origins of enoch powell s rivers of blood speech |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brookeptf indiapostimperialismandtheoriginsofenochpowellsriversofbloodspeech |