Love, Class and Empire - An English Family Saga in the Middle East

Focusing on the experiences of two British expatriate families in Iran and Iraq, this study explores the impact of rapid social mobility in the late imperial era. Drawing on a wealth of personal letters and diaries, A. James Hammerton offers a close and evocative portrait of expatriate love and sexuality.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. White-Collar mobility: the making of Edgar Wilson; 2. Telegraphy as social lubricant: William Cooper's expatriate journey; 3. An expatriate young lady: the education and courtship of Winifred Cooper; 4. Marriage, love and war in Persia: the domestic costs of mobility; 5. An expatriate marriage: love, sexuality and separation; 6. 'Home for good with a loving and grand wife': suburban retirement; 7. Fatal wanderlust and home settlement; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

A. James Hammerton is Emeritus Scholar at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Previous book publications include: Migrants of the British Diaspora since the 1960s (2017), Ten Pound Poms: Australia's Invisible Migrants (with Alistair Thomson, 2005), Cruelty and Companionship: Conflict in Nineteenth Century Married Life, (1992) and Emigrant Gentlewomen: Genteel Poverty and Female Emigration, 1830-1914, (1979, 2016).

Product details

• Authors: Hammerton A. James
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 31.07.2025
• EAN: 9781009541749
• ISBN: 978-1-009-54174-9
• Illustrations: Worked examples or Exercises
• Series: Modern British Histories
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Iran, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, European History, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, c 1800 to c 1900, Colonialism & imperialism, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Social issues & processes, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950, Middle Eastern history, Colonialism and imperialism, Iraq, Indian Ocean, Sex and sexuality, social aspects, Sexual Behaviour, c 1890 to c 1899, c 1880 to c 1889, Persian Gulf