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A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire / Rhys Owens

Swansea University Author: Rhys Owens

  • E-Thesis – open access under embargo until: 25th April 2026

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.66214

Abstract

Neither Welsh history nor imperial history has given much attention to the Welsh connection with empire. While English, Scottish, and Irish imperial history have been developed in recent decades, Wales has been largely ignored. In relation to India, there have been projects on missionaries and the E...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2024
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Johnes, Martin ; Matthews, Gethin
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66214
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first_indexed 2024-04-29T15:07:52Z
last_indexed 2024-04-29T15:07:52Z
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spelling v2 66214 2024-04-29 A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire 74399577a72068d36a4fab01dd5f1c01 Rhys Owens Rhys Owens true false 2024-04-29 SGCCO Neither Welsh history nor imperial history has given much attention to the Welsh connection with empire. While English, Scottish, and Irish imperial history have been developed in recent decades, Wales has been largely ignored. In relation to India, there have been projects on missionaries and the East India Company, but little that focuses on Welsh imperialists during the period of Crown Rule. Despite having a smaller presence than other British nationalities, the Welsh were present in India between 1858-1947, and interacted with imperialism in ways which were distinctly Welsh. This research will explore the Welsh in India during this period and how their Welsh identity interacted with the empire to create a unique Welsh conception of imperialism. Constructed in the domestic press, it emphasised Welsh understanding of indigenous peoples through their own experience of being a minority within the UK and attached itself to a strong sense of Britishness manifested in loyalty to the empire. This ideology, however, had limited impact on the ground in India, with Welsh imperialists generally conforming to the racial and class norms of British India. Welsh imperialism remained a prism through which the Welsh thought about themselves rather than a method of action. Examining this experience adds new dimensions to imperial thinking, especially in relation to how faith and language were transported, reimagined, and contested in the colonial sphere. It demonstrates how the British exported their national and regional ideological baggage which continued to influence their thinking, despite being removed from the physical landscape in which they were forged. Welsh people like Sir Lawrence Jenkins and the missionaries of the Northeast of India had tangible impacts on the colonial space which were fundamentally inspired by their Welshness. This greatly adds to our understanding of how British imperialism operated and has implications far beyond India. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Wales, India, Imperialism, Empire, Welshness 25 4 2024 2024-04-25 10.23889/SUthesis.66214 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communication - School COLLEGE CODE SGCCO Swansea University Johnes, Martin ; Matthews, Gethin Doctoral Ph.D SURES SURES 2024-04-29T16:33:26.0905845 2024-04-29T16:04:38.3307291 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Rhys Owens 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2024-04-29T16:12:58.3146861 Output 1580949 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true 2026-04-25T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, Rhys Owens, 2024. true eng
title A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
spellingShingle A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
Rhys Owens
title_short A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
title_full A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
title_fullStr A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
title_full_unstemmed A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
title_sort A Welsh Vision of Empire: Welsh Imperialists and the Indian Empire
author_id_str_mv 74399577a72068d36a4fab01dd5f1c01
author_id_fullname_str_mv 74399577a72068d36a4fab01dd5f1c01_***_Rhys Owens
author Rhys Owens
author2 Rhys Owens
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.66214
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History
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description Neither Welsh history nor imperial history has given much attention to the Welsh connection with empire. While English, Scottish, and Irish imperial history have been developed in recent decades, Wales has been largely ignored. In relation to India, there have been projects on missionaries and the East India Company, but little that focuses on Welsh imperialists during the period of Crown Rule. Despite having a smaller presence than other British nationalities, the Welsh were present in India between 1858-1947, and interacted with imperialism in ways which were distinctly Welsh. This research will explore the Welsh in India during this period and how their Welsh identity interacted with the empire to create a unique Welsh conception of imperialism. Constructed in the domestic press, it emphasised Welsh understanding of indigenous peoples through their own experience of being a minority within the UK and attached itself to a strong sense of Britishness manifested in loyalty to the empire. This ideology, however, had limited impact on the ground in India, with Welsh imperialists generally conforming to the racial and class norms of British India. Welsh imperialism remained a prism through which the Welsh thought about themselves rather than a method of action. Examining this experience adds new dimensions to imperial thinking, especially in relation to how faith and language were transported, reimagined, and contested in the colonial sphere. It demonstrates how the British exported their national and regional ideological baggage which continued to influence their thinking, despite being removed from the physical landscape in which they were forged. Welsh people like Sir Lawrence Jenkins and the missionaries of the Northeast of India had tangible impacts on the colonial space which were fundamentally inspired by their Welshness. This greatly adds to our understanding of how British imperialism operated and has implications far beyond India.
published_date 2024-04-25T16:33:25Z
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