British civic society at the end of empire: Decolonisation, globalisation, and international responsibility

'through A Close Examination Of Middle-class Associational Life, This Book Reveals The Impact Of Decolonisation On British Society In The 1960s. It Broadens Our Understanding Of Who Had A Stake In Decolonisation, While Also Revealing The Optimism And Enthusiasm With Which Members Of The British Public Developed Visions For A Post-imperial Global Role. The Book Moves Away From The Traditional Focus On Cultural, Media And Governmental Archives To Analyse Public Agency And Civic Forms Of Engagement With The Declining Empire. By Studying A Wide Range Of Associational Organisations, This Book Shows That Globalisation And Decolonisation Opened Up New Opportunities For International Engagement For Middle-aged Members Of Middle-class Society. In The 1960s, For Many Participants In Associational Life, It Became A Civic Duty To Engage, Understand, And Intervene To Help The Shrinking World In Which They Lived. This Book Uncovers How Associations And Organisations Acted On This Sense Of Duty, Developing Projects That Promoted Friendship And Hospitality As The Foundations Of World Peace, Visions For Secular And Religious Forms Of Humanitarianism That Encouraged Relationships Of Both Sympathy And Solidarity With Those In The Global South, And Plans To Increase International Understanding Through Educative Activities. This Accessibly Written Book Will Appeal To Students And Scholars Of Modern British History; Particularly Those With Interests In Empire, Internationalism And Civil Society' --back Cover. This Book Is About The Impact Of Decolonisation On British Civic Society In The 1960s. It Shows How Participants In Middle Class Associational Life Developed Optimistic Visions For A Post-imperial Global Role. Through The Pursuit Of International Friendship, Through Educational Efforts To Know And Understand The World, And Through The Provision Of Assistance To Those In Need, The British Public Imagined Themselves As Important Actors On A Global Stage. As This Book Shows, The Imperial Past Remained An Important Repository Of Skill, Experience, And Expertise In The 1960s, One That Was Called Upon By A Wide Range Of Associations To Justify Their Developing Practices Of International Engagement. This Book Will Be Useful To Scholars Of Modern British History, Particularly Those With Interests In Empire, Internationalism, And Civil Society. The Book Is Also Designed To Be Accessible To Undergraduates Studying These Areas. Introduction -- 1. Imperial Lives And Commonwealth Visions -- 2. International Mobility And The Pursuit Of Informed Understanding -- 3. Friendship, Hospitality, And The Hierarchies Of Affective International Relationships -- 4. Philanthropic Connections And Britain's 'lost Vocation' -- 5. Christian Responsibility In A Shrinking World -- Conclusion -- Index. Anna Bocking-welch. Includes Index. Available Through Manchesterhive. In English.