Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Joseph Hodge
Committee Member
Jennifer Thornton
Committee Member
James Siekmeier
Abstract
This thesis examines concepts of British settler identity and how it developed across trans-national bounds. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the rise of industrialisation and developments in transportation, mass communication and print media fuelled a new wave of settler movements from Britain. As settlers spread to different continents, their identity as Britons was challenged in new ways. From this, a unique subgroup of settlers developed, known as planters. In this thesis, I examine the planter community that developed in the small South Central African country of Nyasaland, now Malawi. By examining Nyasaland’s settler community as a case study, I show how the planters drew inspiration from other planting communities across the empire to develop an identity that strengthened their hold over the region. Though the planters failed in their attempt to create their imagined community, this thesis will show how they attempted to contribute to the trans-national planting class and how that shaped their perceived dominance over the African population.
Recommended Citation
Marnell, Benjamin, "Imagined Communities: The British Planter in Nyasaland, 1890 - 1940" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8225.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8225