My research is a historical ethnography of depictions of the ethnic and cultural other in 19th century England. I was motivated to do this research by curiosity about how cultural and racial otherness and national belonging was constructed historically. Although my work does not directly relate to modern conceptions of national belonging, I was inspired to do my research by seeing ideas about this shift during my own lifetime. My work is a historical ethnography of depictions of immigrants to England in the 1800s in various mediums. Some of the materials I used are presented as fictional by their authors, like Dracula and Goblin Market, while others are presented as nonfiction, like the political cartoons of George Cruikshank. From these materials I draw two primary conclusions. The first is that perceived racial difference is not based fully on physical differences and instead is heavily influenced by cultural factors. The second is that “foreignness” or racial difference is thought of as having a supernatural quality that presents a social, sexual, and political threat. Not being “of the nation” is construed as being inhuman, magical and sinister. My work adds the anthropological understanding of national belonging and racial identification that’s already been studied in ethnographies like Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power by Laura Ann Stoler and has implications regarding modern modes of thought about immigrants, race, and citizenship.

Last modified

• 07/23/2020

Creator

• Zoe Miller

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-jt9s-kq04

Subject

• Anthropology

Keyword

• Nations
• Race
• Anthropology
• Culture
• Ethnography
• Europe

Date created

• 2020-05-28

Resource type

• Conference Proceeding

Rights statement

• In Copyright