Consumerism and Empire of the Edwardian era focusing on the v&a museum, the department stores Harrods, and Fortum & Mason

Imperialism & Consumerism at the V&A and Department Stores The First World War Galleries at the Imperial War Museum This assignment is based on an analysis of one of the course’s initial field studies: Imperial Culture at the V&A and Department Stores, or the World War One Gallery at the Imperial War Museum. Students will be able to develop fieldwork methods and techniques which allow them to interpret British history as presented in specific sites (e.g. museums, galleries, department stores). You will learn how to “read” these sites and analyse their significance both historically and as aspects of the heritage industry in Britain today. The paper involves a written interpretation of one of these sites in relation to a specific era of British history and the main themes of the course. Specifically, papers will address the ways in which their chosen site showcases British imperial relationships in the early-twentieth century. For example, papers on Imperial Culture at the V&A and Department Stores will examine imperialism, its presentation and consumption, within early twentieth-century Britain, highlighted at the museum and the department stores, through their architecture, collections, and merchandise, with specific examples from the guided tour. For the Imperial War Museum, students will engage specifically with the First World War Gallery and the ways in which it illustrates not only British experiences of war, but also the importance of imperial relationships during this conflict through its artefacts, collections, and displays. Papers should be analytical rather than descriptive, based on a clearly-stated thesis, and supported by students’ observations, field study details, lecture content, and secondary readings.