Historical Context

About the lecture

In this module, we explore the historical context for the novel, focusing especially on: (i) the Industrial Revolution in the Black Country, and the population shift from rural to urban areas, (ii) how the closure of the mines in the 1960s led to a social shift as women went to work in factories and men lost their jobs, (iii) the impact of infrastructure development like the M6 on community cohesion, (iv) Britain's interest in England since the 1600s and their formal rule from 1858 to 1947, (v) the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, marked by violence and mass migration, and (vi) British policies related to citizenship and the choices faced by Indians and Pakistanis in terms of their national identity.

About the lecturer

Dr Devon Campbell-Hall is an energetic, transatlantic lecturer who loves every aspect of teaching literature. She completed a PhD entitled 'Writing Asian Britain in Contemporary Anglophone Literature' at the University of Winchester, where she also earned an MA in English: Contemporary Literature. She is currently working on a monograph, Writing Asian Britain.