Media and the Empire

This volume on print and broadcast media in the 19^th and 20^th centuries highlights the pivotal role that the media played in the establishment and maintenance of imperial power. The media bolstered both the ideological and financial objectives of the empire in a myriad of overt, covert, and downright scandalous ways.

From jeopardising the introduction of wireless telegraphy in order to maximise the financial gains of the investors of under-sea cabling, to newspaper proprietors cashing in on the thrilling, wonderful (and sometimes fabricated) adventures of war correspondents in exotic lands, the media has had a constant background influence in the public’s perception of empire.

By covering diverse topics from Anthony Lejeune’s radio talk-show ‘London Letters’ – which supported the Allies by boosting morale and providing a link between soldiers fighting abroad and their families during both World Wars, to the complete subversion of imperial influence – as in the case of the proliferation of diverse media platforms being used by migrant communities in Britain as a means to promote ‘colonization in reverse’, the book hints at the politics, suspense, and intrigue of both the print and broadcast sectors. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Arts.

Ruth Teer-Tomaselli is Director of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard College), Durban, South Africa.

Donal McCracken is Acting Dean and Head of the School of Applied Human Sciences in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.