Heroes of Empire: Five Charismatic Men and the Conquest of Africa

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Univ of California Press, 2011 - Biography & Autobiography - 360 pages
"This intriguing and beautifully written book offers a fresh analysis of Europe's age of empire, and a disquieting account of the role the mass media played in promoting colonial conquest."—Mary Dewhurst Lewis, author of The Boundaries of the Republic: Migrant Rights and the Limits of Universalism in France, 1918-1940

"There are no competing works. Specialists of both the French and English empires, and of imperialism in general, will welcome this book most enthusiastically. This is story telling at its very best."—Alice L. Conklin, author of A Mission to Civilize: The Republican Idea of Empire in France and West Africa, 1895-1930

"Edward Berenson's absorbing and fascinating book explores the culture of imperialism by examining the powerful emotional connections that the British and French forged with their heroes. Whether it was as the embodiments of Christian chivalry or as the standard bearers of the civilizing process, imperial heroes were seen as possessing superhuman courage, adventure and idealism. The work is all the more powerful because he examines this emotional chemistry without ever losing sight of the inescapable aggression and violence intrinsic to the imperial project."—Ruth Harris, author of Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age

"This virtuosic narrative interlaces deep historical research with innovative epistemological exploration. Portraying five charismatic men at the height of French and British Imperialism, Berenson shows how the colonial race for Africa unfolded in a complex counterpoint of nationalist agendas, popular culture, sexual politics, and hero worship, all funneled through the penny press. His finely honed prose and crystal clear reasoning turn these multifaceted and intertwined stories into a fascinating picture of the political and social powers of persuasion developed by mass journalism in the decades between 1870 and 1914."—Annegret Fauser, author of Musical Encounters at the 1889 Paris Worlds Fair

"By following the lives—and legends—of five very different colonial figures, Edward Berenson has set a new standard for thinking about the roles played by the press, violence, masculinity, and civilization in the French and British empires. Beautifully crafted, perfectly paced, and written in an engaging style, Heroes of Empire is history writing at its finest."—J. P. Daughton, author of An Empire Divided: Religion, Republicanism, and the Making of French Colonialism, 1880-1914
 

Contents

12
5
figures
19
Henry Morton Stanley and the New Journalism
22
Congolese women bowing before Brazza
67
Savorgnan de Brazza
74
Brazza apostle of empire
75
Brazza with two African boys
76
Brazza with weapon at rest
77
Stanleys wedding
155
Marchand
175
La Mission Marchand
189
Parisian crowd welcomes Marchand
194
Brazza and the Scandal of the Congo
197
Brazza on his death bed
221
Hubert Lyautey and the French Seizure of Morocco
228
Assassination of Mauchamp
244

Brazza on top of the world
78
Wax figure of Brazza in the Musée Grévin
80
Gordon caricature by Ape Pellegrini in Vanity Fair
98
General Gordons Last Stand by George William Joy
119
Stanley leading the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition
142
H M Stanley
143
The Return of Mr H M Stanley
145
Stanley speaking in Royal Albert Hall
147
Rue Lyautey Paris
271
Brazza in Leon Poiriers 1939 film
278
Brazza Mausoleum Brazzaville
284
notes
287
index
343
maps
350
Copyright

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About the author (2011)

Edward Berenson is Professor of History and Director of the Institute of French Studies at New York University. He is the author of Populist Religion and Left-Wing Politics in France and The Trial of Madame Caillaux (UC Press).

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