6 The imperial game in crisis
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Mike Cronin
Abstract
The world of cricket was often presented as a microcosm of England itself and more widely of the British Empire. The problem for English cricket in the post-war and post-colonial era was how to modernise and adapt. Understanding how the game appeared to lose its authority and become part of John Major's 'heritage' England requires two approaches. The first looks at the ideological baggage cricket brought with it and how the Village cricket' vision of England was received in an era of affluence, greater equality and a less deferential social structure. The second examines the difficulty of seeing cricket as a source of imperial consensus during the process of decolonisation and conflict within the Commonwealth. The reasons for the failure of cricket to adapt to its new surroundings, and hence the steady decline of the game and its importance, can be found within wider changes in post-war British society.
Abstract
The world of cricket was often presented as a microcosm of England itself and more widely of the British Empire. The problem for English cricket in the post-war and post-colonial era was how to modernise and adapt. Understanding how the game appeared to lose its authority and become part of John Major's 'heritage' England requires two approaches. The first looks at the ideological baggage cricket brought with it and how the Village cricket' vision of England was received in an era of affluence, greater equality and a less deferential social structure. The second examines the difficulty of seeing cricket as a source of imperial consensus during the process of decolonisation and conflict within the Commonwealth. The reasons for the failure of cricket to adapt to its new surroundings, and hence the steady decline of the game and its importance, can be found within wider changes in post-war British society.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- General editor’s introduction vi
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 The persistence of empire in metropolitan culture 21
- 2 Empire loyalists and ‘Commonwealth men’ 37
- 3 Coronation Everest 57
- 4 Look back at empire 73
- 5 ‘No nation could be broker’ 91
- 6 The imperial game in crisis 111
- 7 Imperial heroes for a post-imperial age 128
- 8 Imperial legacies, new frontiers 145
- 9 Wandering in the wake of empire 163
- 10 Communities of Britishness 180
- 11 South Asians in post-imperial Britain 200
- 12 India, Inc.? 217
- Index 233
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- General editor’s introduction vi
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 The persistence of empire in metropolitan culture 21
- 2 Empire loyalists and ‘Commonwealth men’ 37
- 3 Coronation Everest 57
- 4 Look back at empire 73
- 5 ‘No nation could be broker’ 91
- 6 The imperial game in crisis 111
- 7 Imperial heroes for a post-imperial age 128
- 8 Imperial legacies, new frontiers 145
- 9 Wandering in the wake of empire 163
- 10 Communities of Britishness 180
- 11 South Asians in post-imperial Britain 200
- 12 India, Inc.? 217
- Index 233
