Utilitarianism and Empire: : David Theo Goldberg: Lexington Books

Utilitarianism and Empire

Description

The classical utilitarian legacy of Jeremy Bentham, J. S. Mill, James Mill, and Henry Sidgwick has often been charged with both theoretical and practical complicity in the growth of British imperialism and the emerging racialist discourse of the nineteenth century. But there has been little scholarly work devoted to bringing together the conflicting interpretive perspectives on this legacy and its complex evolution with respect to orientalism and imperialism. This volume, with contributions by leading scholars in the field, represents the first attempt to survey the full range of current scholarly controversy on how the classical utilitarians conceived of 'race' and the part it played in their ethical and political programs, particularly with respect to such issues as slavery and the governance of India. The book both advances our understanding of the history of utilitarianism and imperialism and promotes the scholarly debate, clarifying the major points at issue between those sympathetic to the utilitarian legacy and those critical of it.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Jeremy Bentham on Slavery and the Slave Trade
Chapter 3 Jeremy Bentham: Legislator of the World
Chapter 4 James Mill's The History of British India: The Question of Utilitarianism and Empire
Chapter 5 Mill on Happiness: The Enduring Value of a Complex Critique
Chapter 6 Liberalism's Limits: Carlyle and Mill on "The Negro Question"
Chapter 7 Empire, Race, and Euro-centrism: John Stewart Mill and His Critics
Chapter 8 Chairing the Jamaica Committee: J. S. Mill and the Limits of Colonial Authority
Chapter 9 The Early Utilitarians, Race, and Empire: The State of the Argument
Chapter 10 Imagining Darwinism
Chapter 11 Sidgwick's Racism

Product details

Published	29 Aug 2005
Format	Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition	1st
Extent	274
ISBN	9780739162231
Imprint	Lexington Books
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Anthology Editor

Bart Schultz

Anthology Editor

Georgios Varouxakis

Contributor

David Theo Goldberg

Contributor

H S. Jones

Contributor

Javed Majeed

Contributor

J Joseph Miller

Contributor

Martha C. Nussbaum

Contributor

Jennifer Pitts

Contributor

Frederick Rosen

Contributor

David Weinstein

Ultimately, the test of a good book lies not only in the debates it is able to reconcile, but also those into which it breathes fresh life. On both counts, this collection admirably succeeds, and it would make a very worthwile addition to a reading course in modern intellectual history.

Victorian Studies
This book is a welcome return to the views of classical utilitarians on empire and imperialism....It is most successful in constructing a conversation, sometimes muted, at times agitated, between the various papers. Most edited collections faile to createsuch a reading experience, and the editors are to be commended for choosing the right authors and papers and for organising the book in a logical fashion....<Utilitarianism and Empire successfully provides a welcome fresh look at and an excellent introduction to the complex and multifaceted relationships between utilitarianism, race and empire...

Casper Sylvest, 2010, The Journal Of Utilitas
The relationship between classical utilitarianism and empire is a fascinating issue which has been ignored or misunderstood for far too long. This wide-ranging and scholarly collection of essays is much to be welcomed and should be read by anyone interested in this significant chapter in the history of ideas.

Dr. Roger Crisp, St. Anne's College
This book is a welcome return to the views of classical utilitarians on empire and imperialism....It is most successful in constructing a conversation, sometimes muted, at times agitated, between the various papers. Most edited collections faile to create such a reading experience, and the editors are to be commended for choosing the right authors and papers and for organising the book in a logical fashion.... successfully provides a welcome fresh look at and an excellent introduction to the complex and multifaceted relationships between utilitarianism, race and empire.

Casper Sylvest, 2010, The Journal Of Utilitas