Staging Governance: Theatrical Imperialism in London, 1770–1800

Between 1770 and 1800, transformations in the relationship between metropolitan British society and its colonial holdings, and in the concept of the nation itself, left Britons with a new sense of themselves. Over the same period, the consolidation of the middle classes was accompanied by growing social constraints on sexuality and family life. Staging Governance locates the intersection of these two trends in the representation of British India on the London stage. Theatrical productions, especially those representing colonial life, pushed the limits of public discourse on sexuality and colonialism even as the government made efforts to shape and narrow them. At the same time, official discourse on colonial practices, such as the public trials of Clive and Hastings, became theatrical events themselves. Exploring this rapidly shifting world through a series of original readings of dramatic texts and important moments of oratory, Staging Governance demonstrates how the perceived crises of imperial and domestic Britain joined these spheres in the popular imagination. The economics of political and sexual exchange not only became entwined but functioned as mutual supports during a period of social, cultural, and political readjustment.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction: The Supplementation of Imperial Sovereignty Part I: Ethnographic Acts Chapter 1. Empire's Vicious Expenses: Samuel Foote's The Nabob and the Credit Crisis of 1772 Chapter 2. "As Much as Science Can Approach Barbarity" Pantomimical Ethnography in Omai; or, A Trip round the World Part II: Women and the Trials of Imperial Masculinity Chapter 3. Inchbald's Indies: Meditations on Despotism circa 1784 Chapter 4. The Raree Show of Impeachment Chapter 5. Molière's Old Woman: Judging and Being Judged with Frances Burney Part III: A Theatre of Perpetual War Chapter 6. Starke Reforms: Martial Masculinity and the Perils of Indianization Chapter 7. War and Precinema: Tipu Sultan and the Allure of Mechanical Display Afterword: Recreational Alterity Notes Index

About the Author :
Daniel O'Quinn is an associate professor in the School of Literatures and Performance Studies in English at the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Review :
An ambitious and compelling book, notable for its command of divergent fields and discourses, its careful readings, and its theoretical reach. -- Betsy Bolton Comparative Drama O'Quinn's focus... is refreshing. -- Diedre Lynch Studies in English Literature A sophisticated exposition... useful and stimulating. -- Cheryl Wanko 1650-1850: Ideas, Esthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era An ambitious and important book. -- Michael Garner Studies in Romanticism The book as a whole is an impressive scholarly achievement and a major contribution to the fields of romantic theatre and imperial studies. Theatre Research International Groundbreaking, informative, and penetrating, and it [ Staging Governance: Theatrical Imperialism in London, 1770-1800] offers significant new information about the role of the theater in late eighteenth-century debates about the Asian colonies and English government. -- Jeremy W. Webster Eighteenth-Century Life O'Quinn's book is one of great importance and significant innovation. His understanding of the situated nature and ideological function of performance is excellent. -- David Francis Taylor Huntington Library Quarterly