Humanities Core Course
Forms of Association
Nation and Empire
Professor Haynes
Week V
Winter 2007
Boundaries and Tensions in
Colonial
1.
Boundaries are a defining feature of the Upper Burma town of
2. The underlying purpose of these boundaries
was to define who was the colonizer and who was the
colonized. How did the behavior of Britons and Burmese reproduce these
categories?
3.
Of course, the labor of Burmese men and women supported the colonial society in
variety and critical ways. Their subordinate status stamped them as the
colonized. But, did
the dependence of Britons on them foster anxiety about the contingent nature of
their power in the colony?
4. Among the various institutions, Britons
appeared to be most anxious about policing the boundaries of the Club. Why?
5.
The categories colonizer and colonized reflected boundaries as well as
identities. But, were these identities in fact more flexible in practice than
these terms suggest? Please provide examples.
6. While these categories may be flexible, there
are fixed limits beyond which Britons and Burmese refused to go. Please provide
examples.
7. To what extend do British and Burmese women
enforce or transgress the norms of colonial society?
8. How
does a newcomer like Elizabeth Lackersteen establish herself in the British
community?
9. In what ways do Samuel and Francis define themselves
as British/European?
10.
Why do Francis and Samuel produce such visceral feelings among some members of
the British community?