British Emigration, 1603-1914

The idea of Britain has been understood largely in terms of sectarian conflict and state formation, whereas emigration has most often been explored in terms of economic and social history. This book explores the relationship between two subjects normally studied in isolation, and includes emigration from Ireland as a social phenomenon which cannot be understood in isolation from modern British History, as well as the impact of British emigration on the ethos and identity of the British Empire at its zenith at the turn of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.

'Murdoch suggests that many of the emigrants were people who were, in effect, rejecting social change and hoping to recover abroad the worlds they were losing at home. He offers similarly probing ideas about the transfer of class attitudes and the Americanization of the English emigrants, as well as the role of return migration. His compact essays sparkle with thoughtful ideas relevant to the entire evolution of the Anglo world.' - Journal of British Studies 'his compacts essays sparkle with thoughtful ideas relevant to the entire evolution of the Anglo World'- Eric Richardson, Journal of British Studies

ALEXANDER MURDOCH is Senior Lecturer in Scottish History in the School of History and Classics at the University of Edinburgh, UK.