The Anatomy of Memory Politics: A Formalist Analysis of Tate Britain’s ‘Artist and Empire’ and the Struggle over Britain’s Imperial Past

In this paper, I propose a new approach for understanding the meaning of memory politics, which draws upon the archetypal literary criticism of Northrop Frye. I suggest that the four archetypes elaborated by Frye—comedy, romance, tragedy, and satire—can be used as a heuristic device for interpreting the contested historical narratives that are associated with the politics of memory. I illustrate this approach through a case-study of Artists and Empire: Facing Britain’s Imperial Past, an exhibition held at Tate Britain in 2016, amidst increasing contestation over the meaning of the British Empire. In sum, I find that the exhibit narrated Britain’s imperial past as a comedy, in which a key theme was the progressive cultural mixing of the British and the people they colonized. To conclude, I discuss the implications of such a narrative for constructing an inclusive, postcolonial British identity. As an alternative, I draw on Aristotle to suggest that a tragic narrative would have been more propitious

[Vista de ciudad tomada desde el río] [Material gráfico]

Resumen: Descripción: vista de una ciudad (sin identificar) tomada desde el río. En primer término una pequeña barca con cuatro personajes; al fondo un puente y más allá la sombra de unos edificios sin identifica

The tourist in Portugal,

Plates by John Cousen, Edward Goodall, Samuel Bradshaw, William Wallis, James Stephenson, James B. Allen, James Charles Armytage, James Carter, Robert Brandard, J. T. Wiltmore, Henry Adlard, and E. Chatlis, after James and T. Holland.Advertisements: [2] p. at end."Printed by Maurice, Clark, and Co."Added t.-p. included in collation.Mode of access: Internet

The Oriental annual, or, Scenes in India

v.7 (1840

The Oriental annual, or, Scenes in India

v.6 (1839