The Civilising Mission and the English Middle Class : the 'heathen' at home and overseas 1792-1850

This book concerns the missionary philanthropic movement which burst onto the social scene in early nineteenth century in England, becoming a popular provincial movement which sought no less than national and global reformation. It central concerns are: the significance of the civilizing mission for the English middle class, from the domestic lives of individual families, through local and regional networks, to high political campaigns; the relationships between missionary men and women, and the importance of "domestic reform" within the movement; and the relationship between missions at home and overseas and their significance for changing understandings of class and cultural difference.