The Victorian era witnessed the emergence of eclectic forms and genres that pushed against geographical and chronological margins – by highlighting engagements across the Empire and the European, Atlantic, and Oceanic continents, and challenging Romantic, Victorian, and Modern/ist periodisations. Its inherent diversity and expansive chronological scope belie the enduring myth of “splendid isolation”: the era spanned the aftermath of the great eighteenth-century revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars to the First World War, during which British territory came to encompass places as far apart as Canada and India, South Africa and Australia. Uncovering the contradictions and diversity of Victorian culture enables broadening the field of Victorian Studies, and renovating the scope of what we think of as Victorian, and indeed British, culture and identity.

The Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, in collaboration with the Department of History of Art, the Centre for Modern Studies, and the Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies at York, is pleased to announce its inaugural one-day Victorian Studies conference, on the topic of “Victorian Expansions.” Supported by the British Association for Victorian Studies, this conference aims to explore and contribute to the current drive towards diversifying and decolonising Victorian studies, by expanding its established geographical (beyond the British Isles), chronological, and disciplinary boundaries.   

Venue and programme: Forthcoming

Conference organizer: Dr. Pritika Pradhan at [email protected].

Enquiries to be sent to [email protected]. We welcome any queries, and look forward to seeing you at the conference!

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