The Empire of Progress

' The largest and most ambitious in the tradition of imperial expositions, the 1924 Empire Exhibition brought the empire ' home' to the outskirts of north London, heralding a new era of imperial unity and development while adhering to the principle of colonial self-sufficiency and reproducing racist caricatures. In the first book-length account of the exhibition at Wembley, its context, and its contradictions, Stephens provides new insight into the British Empire during the interwar years, when it reached a tenuous apex and inspired mounting opposition both in Britain and in the colonies. ' - Marc Matera, Assistant Professor, History Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

' This is an insightful, well-written study of the often overlooked Wembley Empire Exhibition of 1924-25 that treats with great sensitivity the fair' s non-European participants. That The Empire of Progress does so within the context of twentieth-century British history and the history of Britain' s empire is all the more impressive. ' - Jeffrey Auerbach, Professor of History, California State University Northridge, USA

' The Empire of Progress is a welcome addition to the literature on the inter-war empire. It provides a comprehensive and illuminating study of the contribution the 1924-5 Empire Exhibition made to promoting an ' empire consciousness' and to the evolution of emergent discourses of colonial development in the wider context of new post-war challenges to the Britishempire, including the growth of anti-colonial resistance. ' - Barbara Bush, Emeritus Professor of History, Sheffield Hallam University, UK