Smith, Richard W. P.. 2016. Multicultural Commemoration and West Indian Military Service in the First World War. Environment, Space and Place, 8(2), pp. 7-28. ISSN 2066-5377 [Article]

Text (Smith, Multicultural commemoration final draft) Smith, Multicultural commemoration and West Indian military service in the First World War.doc - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (128kB)

Abstract or Description

West Indian military service in the First World War is recalled in many settings. During the war race and class boundaries of colonial society was temporarily eroded by visions of imperial unity, but quickly by post-war assertions of imperial authority. However, recollections of wartime sacrifices were kept alive by Pan-African, ex-service and emerging nationalist groups before being incorporated into independent Caribbean national identity and migrant West Indian communities.

During the centenary commemorations, West Indian participation has increasingly been mediated through literature, theatre and broadcasting. Spheres of conflict which provided more heroic visions, such as the Middle East or the Taranto mutiny, have acquired particular symbolic importance, contrasting with the more tragic representations of the war as a whole.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.5840/esplace2016829
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
Dates:	Date Event 31 December 2016 Published 31 July 2016 Accepted
Item ID:	20097
Date Deposited:	31 Mar 2017 15:28
Last Modified:	27 Jun 2017 15:07
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/20097

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