New Books in Critical Theory Kathleen Wilson, "Strolling Players of Empire: Theater and Performances of Power in the British Imperial Provinces, 1656–1833" (Cambridge UP, 2022)
Aug 21, 2025
In this engaging discussion, cultural historian Kathleen Wilson dives into her work on the role of theater in the British Empire from 1656 to 1833. She reveals how performances transformed imperial provinces into historical stages, shaping identity and power dynamics. The chat explores the cultural exchange between British expatriates and local audiences, illustrating how non-British people adapted English traditions. With fascinating examples from Calcutta and St. Helena, Wilson highlights theater’s dual role as entertainment and a means of asserting authority and challenging colonial narratives.
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Theater As Imperial Cargo
- English theater traveled as cultural cargo and helped shape imperial governance and identity across the globe.
- Kathleen Wilson argues theater was essential to colonization because it created audiences who learned British values and modes of rule.
Why The Long 18th Century Matters
- Wilson frames 1656–1833 as the long eighteenth century for cultural continuities around Englishness and slavery.
- She links theater's centrality in the era to how it mentally and physically 'civilized' audiences and spread norms.
Theater As National Emissary
- Theater functioned as a national emissary that taught moral tales and modeled proper spectatorship.
- English people believed theater proved their culture's superiority and carried that belief into imperial practice.
