Imperial persuaders : images of Africa and Asia in British advertising / Anandi Ramamurthy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ramamurthy, Anandi, author.

Series:

Studies in imperialism (Manchester, England)

Studies in imperialism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stereotypes (Social psychology) in advertising--Great Britain--History.

Stereotypes (Social psychology) in advertising.

Great Britain--Colonies--Public opinion.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 234 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

We live in an age in which advertising is part of the fabric of our lives. Advertising in its modern form largely has its origins in the later nineteenth century. This book is the first to provide a historical survey of images of black people in advertising during the colonial period. It highlights the way in which racist representations continually developed and shifted throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, depending on the particular political and economic interests of the producers of these images. The book analyses the various conflicting, and changing ideologies of colonialism and racism in British advertising, revealing reveal the purposes to which these images of dehumanisation and exploitation were employed. The first part deals with images of Africa, the second deals with images of black people in the West, and the third considers questions relating to issues about images and social representations in general. The Eurocentric image of the 'savage' and 'heathen', the period of slavery, European exploration and missionary activity, as well as the colonisation of Africa in the nineteenth century are explored. Representations of the servant, the entertainer, and the exotic man or woman with a rampant sexuality are also presented. The key strategy with which images of black people from the colonial period have been considered is that of stereotyping. The material interests of soap manufacturers, cocoa manufacturers, tea advertising, and tobacco advertising are discussed. The book explains the four particular types of imagery dominate corporate advertising during the 1950s and early 1960s.

Contents:

Advertizing and colonial discourse

Soap advertising, the trader as civiliser and the scramble for Africa

Cocoa advertising, the ideology of indirect rule and the promotion of the peasant producer

Tea advertising and its idealogical support for vertical control over production

The Empire Marketing Board, tobacco advertising and the imaging of the white male imperial archetype

Corporate advertising, decolonisation and the transition to neo-colonialisim.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 30 Mar 2026).

OCLC:

1524994247