British and Anglophone
/ Our Ruling Classes: Class, Power, Conflict
Nikolai Endres (Western Kentucky University)
niko@****.com (Log-in to reveal)
This session focuses on British literature and culture of the long 19th century. Particularly welcome are proposals on underrepresented works, on the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s proclamation as Empress of India and on the 125th anniversary of her passing, on Neo-Victorianism, and on the conference theme “Our Ruling Classes: Culture, Power, Conflict”
While any proposals dealing with British literature and culture of the long 19th century are welcome, these topics related to the conference theme are of special interest: *The nineteenth century fascination with feudalism and the medieval period *The Victorian cult of heroes *The transition from the aristocracy to a meritocracy *Colonial hierarchies and anti-colonial resistance *Corporate and industrial elites *Class division, caste, and consciousness: courtiers, proletarians, and peasants *Gendered hierarchies of power and suffragettism *The cult of royal celebrity and the veneration of power *Economic vs. cultural elites *Haves and have-nots: stories of stratification and polarization