Hyam's "Empire and Sexuality" (Book Note)

 

Empire and Sexuality commences with an extensive exploration of various forms of sexual activity and attitudes prevalent in Britain from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century. The survey is so comprehensive that it serves as an essential glossary of terms, expanding the reader's vocabulary. Despite some omissions of terms used in the text that may be unfamiliar, the book proceeds to discuss sexual life overseas. It emphasizes the greater freedom outside Britain and highlights the superior sexual services offered by Africans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders of both genders.

 

The central theme that follows is the corrosive impact of increasing British sexual puritanism on life, both domestically and overseas. The narrative traces the origins of this puritanical crusade from the attack on controlled prostitution in Britain and the colonies to the colonial service's prohibition on officers keeping indigenous mistresses, initiated by the Crewe circular of 1909. The book delves into 'missionary confrontations' over sexual habits, revealing disastrous consequences in places like Buganda and Kenya. The author connects this escalating puritanism with the growth of racist attitudes, asserting that "sex is at the very heart of racism."

 

While the book doesn't explicitly argue that the empire was established to satisfy sexual urges, it contends that understanding the nature of the British empire and its overseas expansion requires considering the sexual attitudes of the men in charge. The author suggests that the empire functioned as much as a system of prostitution networks as it did as a web of submarine cables, echoing Kipling's famous phrase. However, the imperial significance of sex is not overstated, as many Britons overseas led blameless sex lives, while others abstained altogether. The book avoids dogmatic conclusions and wisely refrains from claiming too much for its material.

 

Underlying themes of 'the psycho-sexual dimension' and 'the reduction of opportunity' are explored, emphasizing that sexuality should express itself freely, as long as it causes no harm to the parties involved. The author contends that the narrowing of acceptable sexual behavior, both at home and abroad, did the British and their overseas subjects, and perhaps imperial stability, a disservice. This trend, he suggests, may have contributed to the sexual basis of racism and the eventual rise of colonial nationalism.

 

The book presents an important and largely novel hypothesis, supported by impressive knowledge of British domestic and imperial history and literature on sexuality. Despite its scholarly depth, the writing remains light and sensitive, making it a compelling read deserving a broader readership beyond specialists in imperial and Commonwealth history.