Can anyone suggest a good dissertation topic relating to Colonial Britain?

Answer 1

Perhpas a good angle for your dissertation topic would be the relationship between colonial Britain and drugs. This obviously depends on the specialities of the academic staff who make up your history department at whatever uni you're at. I would suggest having a look at 'Cannabis Britannica : empire, trade, and prohibition, 1800-1928' by Dr Jim Mills. International politics are completely intertwinned with the history of what we now call recreational drugs, and in this instance (hemp, cannabis whatever you want to call it) colonial culture in British society played a major part. Also you might want to have a look at the British involvement in the Chinese opium trade and the moral outbursts that this produced in the form of quaker orientated pressure groups, can't remember the exact name but something like society for the surpression of the opium trade ( Dr V. Berridge is widely known to be the expert on this subject). If you plan to take your degree and dissertation interest further in the form of a post grad degree then you should keep in mind that the history of medicine is a fairly new historical discourse and one that can attract a number of different potential funders. However, funding opportunities in Social Sciences and i n particular history are very competitive and are reducing every year. So if you do want to do postgrad study bear in mind that only a first class degree will enable you to attract the interest you want to gain funding, and also remember that a degree in Britain is like an AK47 in Iraq. Common. Anyway good luck in your fourth year. A history graduate curretly applying for funding.