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The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861

This dissertation studies the period of George Grey's governance at the Cape from 1854 to 1861. This is examined as a period in which change in British administration impacted imperial policy pertaining to the Cape. The relationships between Cape governors, particularly George Grey, and successive B...

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Main Author: Keegan, Thomas
Other Authors: Penn, Nigel
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Historical Studies 2016
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access_status_str Open Access
author Keegan, Thomas
author2 Penn, Nigel
author_browse Keegan, Thomas
Penn, Nigel
author_facet Penn, Nigel
Keegan, Thomas
author_sort Keegan, Thomas
collection Thesis
description This dissertation studies the period of George Grey's governance at the Cape from 1854 to 1861. This is examined as a period in which change in British administration impacted imperial policy pertaining to the Cape. The relationships between Cape governors, particularly George Grey, and successive British administrations has received inadequate attention. When Grey first arrived, he was allowed a great degree of freedom by Whig politicians; this had changed by the end of his appointment, when Conservatives had come into power. During this period the granting of greater constitutional independence to settler populations across the British Empire was being undertaken and this led to misunderstandings and conflicts over colonial governors' functions and responsibilities. In this context, Grey himself is an object of study. Numerous historical portrayals define him as a figure of great historiographical interest and dispute. Arguments about Grey often revolve around his treatment of native peoples. Engaging this, I attempt to compare and contrast his representations of different native peoples, particularly the Maori and the Xhosa, discussing why such differences may have existed. This dissertation defines this period as one of scientific growth at the Cape, and Grey's influence in promoting the growth of a self--‐conscious public sphere in colonial society is thus investigated. As the Cattle-Killing holds a prominent place within various Cape histories, historiographical examination of this event has taken place. The Cape populations' reactions to Grey's policies have been examined. Suggestions are made that Cape 'victory' over the Xhosa, following the Cattle-Killing, coincided with this growth in scientific endeavour in promoting the place of the Cape in the 'civilised' British colonial order.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20061 The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861 Keegan, Thomas Penn, Nigel Historical Studies This dissertation studies the period of George Grey's governance at the Cape from 1854 to 1861. This is examined as a period in which change in British administration impacted imperial policy pertaining to the Cape. The relationships between Cape governors, particularly George Grey, and successive British administrations has received inadequate attention. When Grey first arrived, he was allowed a great degree of freedom by Whig politicians; this had changed by the end of his appointment, when Conservatives had come into power. During this period the granting of greater constitutional independence to settler populations across the British Empire was being undertaken and this led to misunderstandings and conflicts over colonial governors' functions and responsibilities. In this context, Grey himself is an object of study. Numerous historical portrayals define him as a figure of great historiographical interest and dispute. Arguments about Grey often revolve around his treatment of native peoples. Engaging this, I attempt to compare and contrast his representations of different native peoples, particularly the Maori and the Xhosa, discussing why such differences may have existed. This dissertation defines this period as one of scientific growth at the Cape, and Grey's influence in promoting the growth of a self--‐conscious public sphere in colonial society is thus investigated. As the Cattle-Killing holds a prominent place within various Cape histories, historiographical examination of this event has taken place. The Cape populations' reactions to Grey's policies have been examined. Suggestions are made that Cape 'victory' over the Xhosa, following the Cattle-Killing, coincided with this growth in scientific endeavour in promoting the place of the Cape in the 'civilised' British colonial order. 2016-06-21T09:25:15Z 2016-06-21T09:25:15Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20061 eng application/pdf Department of Historical Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Historical Studies
Keegan, Thomas
The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
title_full The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
title_fullStr The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
title_full_unstemmed The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
title_short The arrival of Grey : a re-evaluation of George Grey's governance at the Cape of Good Hope, 1854-1861
title_sort arrival of grey a re evaluation of george grey s governance at the cape of good hope 1854 1861
topic Historical Studies
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20061
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