The Countryside: Ten Rural Walks Through Britain and Its Hidden History of Empire
Corinne Fowler
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
An Air Mail Editors' Pick Ten walks through idyllic scenery reveal rural Britain's forgotten links to transatlantic slavery and colonialism--a "revelatory travelogue-cum-exposé" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) that will transform our understanding of the English countryside and its heritage. For centuries, the green fields, rugged highlands, and rolling hills of England, Scotland, and Wales have captured the global imagination as backdrops for the tales of adventure and seclusion that have become enduring symbols of British culture. But beneath the romantic perception of these rural locales--grand country estates, shoreline villages, and inland hamlets alike--is a past and present irrevocably shaped by British transatlantic slavery and colonialism. Over the course of ten country walks, scholar Corinne Fowler explores the unique colonial dimensions of British labor history, from agriculture to copper-mining, coastal trade to factory work. One route explores banking history in Southern England and its link to slavery on Louisianan plantations; another uncovers the historical impact of sugar profits on the Scottish isles and 18th-century tobacco imports on an English port. Each walk not only offers a fascinating exploration of the heart of British rural life, but also exposes its inextricable connection to colonial activity in the farthest reaches of the British empire. Accompanying the author on her walks are a fascinating group of people--artists, musicians, and writers--with strong attachments to the landscapes featured in this book and family links to former British colonies like Barbados and Senegal. Alongside these companions, Fowler illuminates the meaning of colonial history in local settings. Crucially, this is not just a history book but "a deftly critical, readable contribution to the historiography of empire" (Kirkus Reviews)--a compassionate reflection on the way we respond to sensitive, shared histories which link people across cultures, generations, and political divides.
Product Details
Price
$30.00
$27.90
Publisher
Scribner Book Company
Publish Date
June 11, 2024
Pages
432
Dimensions
5.9 X 8.2 X 1.6 inches | 1.0 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781668003978
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Corinne Fowler is Professor of Colonialism and Heritage in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester. In 2020, Corinne coauthored an audit of peer-reviewed research about the National Trust, which cares for over 300 stately homes, a third of which have multiple connections to the British empire. The report became a major media story and won the 2022 Museums and Heritage Judges' Special Recognition Award and an Eastern Eye Award in 2023. Corinne directed Colonial Countryside: National Trust Houses Reinterpreted (2017-2022), a child-led history and writing project, with the commissioned photographer and Turner Prize shortlisted artist, Ingrid Pollard (2018-2022). Her most recent book is Green Unpleasant Land: Creative Responses to Rural England's Colonial Connections.
Reviews
An Air Mail Editor's Pick
"Corinne Fowler provides 10 rural itineraries, but with a twist: she illustrates how much of these beautiful hills and fields owe to Britain's colonial past...Countryside in no way derides the beauty of these rural routes, but it offers a historical context that is so fascinating that you can read it in your slippers sitting at home."
--Air Mail
"[A] revelatory travelogue-cum-exposé...The account transfixes throughout...This is a staggering look at some of the less-studied repercussions of colonialism."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "A deftly critical, readable contribution to the historiography of empire... Fascinating."
--Kirkus Reviews "Grappling with the historical accuracy of revered spaces is not solely a problem in the U.S.... In this well-researched and thoughtful history, Fowler's evocative descriptions will engage both armchair and in-person travelers."
--Booklist
"This is real, difficult, essential history delivered in the most eloquent and accessible way. Her case, that rural Britain has been shaped by imperialism, is unanswerable, and she makes her arguments beautifully. An important book."
--Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland "This is an essential and fascinating book because it brings to light, through conversations and nature walks, some of the buried connections between Britain's landscape and historic buildings and its complicated hidden histories. Fowler does not judge or diminish, but enriches and deepens our understanding of this nation."
--Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other "A detailed and thoughtful exploration of historical connections that for too long have been obscured. A powerful book that brings the history of the Empire home--literally."
--David Olusoga, author of Black and British: A Forgotten History "In this timely, important and wonderfully engaging book, Corinne Fowler does three of my favorite things: walking in beautiful corners of the British Isles, talking with fascinating people, and shining a much-needed light on the colonial and economic histories of the places we think we know. A true act of patriotism, and a delight to read."
--Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13 "Corinne Fowler emphatically demolishes any claim that Britain was untouched by empire outside of London and the major port cities. She shows how the human and economic impact of slavery and colonialism was felt in myriad ways in places often seen as isolated from global events. Taking her readers from the remote isle of Jura to the rugged landscapes of Wordsworth's Lake District to the quintessentially English Cotswolds, Fowler vividly illustrates the long reach of empire into every corner of the country."
--Stephanie Barczewski, author of How the Country House Became English
"Corinne Fowler's engrossing walks through the English countryside offer a meticulous portrait of the colonial influences on the making of British landscapes and houses. In combining a love of rural walks and villages with the empire that affected them and their workers, she shows that "connected histories" deserve to be remembered and faced rather than erased, and that historical knowledge expands, rather than diminishes, our understanding of place and time."
--Gretchen Gerzina, author of Black England "Part poetic travelogue and part deeply researched history, The Countryside is entirely engrossing. Corinne Fowler is an ideal guide for walks through Britain's rural meadows, forests, and lawns. Her insightful meditations on their hidden histories will stay with you long after you finish the book."
--Megan Kate Nelson, Pulitzer-Prize finalist and author of The Three-Cornered War and Saving Yellowstone
"Corinne Fowler provides 10 rural itineraries, but with a twist: she illustrates how much of these beautiful hills and fields owe to Britain's colonial past...Countryside in no way derides the beauty of these rural routes, but it offers a historical context that is so fascinating that you can read it in your slippers sitting at home."
--Air Mail
"[A] revelatory travelogue-cum-exposé...The account transfixes throughout...This is a staggering look at some of the less-studied repercussions of colonialism."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "A deftly critical, readable contribution to the historiography of empire... Fascinating."
--Kirkus Reviews "Grappling with the historical accuracy of revered spaces is not solely a problem in the U.S.... In this well-researched and thoughtful history, Fowler's evocative descriptions will engage both armchair and in-person travelers."
--Booklist
"This is real, difficult, essential history delivered in the most eloquent and accessible way. Her case, that rural Britain has been shaped by imperialism, is unanswerable, and she makes her arguments beautifully. An important book."
--Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland "This is an essential and fascinating book because it brings to light, through conversations and nature walks, some of the buried connections between Britain's landscape and historic buildings and its complicated hidden histories. Fowler does not judge or diminish, but enriches and deepens our understanding of this nation."
--Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other "A detailed and thoughtful exploration of historical connections that for too long have been obscured. A powerful book that brings the history of the Empire home--literally."
--David Olusoga, author of Black and British: A Forgotten History "In this timely, important and wonderfully engaging book, Corinne Fowler does three of my favorite things: walking in beautiful corners of the British Isles, talking with fascinating people, and shining a much-needed light on the colonial and economic histories of the places we think we know. A true act of patriotism, and a delight to read."
--Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13 "Corinne Fowler emphatically demolishes any claim that Britain was untouched by empire outside of London and the major port cities. She shows how the human and economic impact of slavery and colonialism was felt in myriad ways in places often seen as isolated from global events. Taking her readers from the remote isle of Jura to the rugged landscapes of Wordsworth's Lake District to the quintessentially English Cotswolds, Fowler vividly illustrates the long reach of empire into every corner of the country."
--Stephanie Barczewski, author of How the Country House Became English
"Corinne Fowler's engrossing walks through the English countryside offer a meticulous portrait of the colonial influences on the making of British landscapes and houses. In combining a love of rural walks and villages with the empire that affected them and their workers, she shows that "connected histories" deserve to be remembered and faced rather than erased, and that historical knowledge expands, rather than diminishes, our understanding of place and time."
--Gretchen Gerzina, author of Black England "Part poetic travelogue and part deeply researched history, The Countryside is entirely engrossing. Corinne Fowler is an ideal guide for walks through Britain's rural meadows, forests, and lawns. Her insightful meditations on their hidden histories will stay with you long after you finish the book."
--Megan Kate Nelson, Pulitzer-Prize finalist and author of The Three-Cornered War and Saving Yellowstone
