Imperial spaces takes two of the most influential minority groups of white settlers in the British Empire – the Irish and the Scots – and explores how they imagined themselves within the landscapes of its farthest reaches, the Australian colonies of Victoria and New South Wales. Using letters and diaries as well as records of collective activities such as committee meetings, parades and dinners, the book examines how the Irish and Scots built new identities as settlers in the unknown spaces of Empire. Utilizing critical geographical theories of ‘place’ as the site of memory and agency, it considers how Irish and Scots settlers grounded their sense of belonging in the imagined landscapes of south-east Australia.
Imperial spaces is relevant to academics and students interested in the history and geography of the British Empire, Australia, Ireland and Scotland.