Routledge Revivals: Metropolis London (1989) Histories and Representations since 1800

First published in 1989, this book seeks to demonstrate the social and political images of late-twentieth century London — the post-big-bang city, docklands, trade union defeats, a mounting north-south divide — do not mark as decisive break with the past as they may appear to. It argues that the most striking thing about London’s history since 1800 is the continuities and recurrences which punctuate it. The essays collected in this book focus on these themes and address important questions about class, nationality, sexual difference, and radical politics. They combine the established strengths of social history with more innovative approaches such as the history of representations.

List of illustrations; List of contributors; Introduction David Feldman and Gareth Stedman Jones; The social problem; 1 Jennings’ Buildings and the Royal Borough: The construction of the underclass in mid-Victorian England Jennifer Davis 2 The People’s Palace: An image for East London in the 1880s Deborah E.B. Weiner 3 The importance of being English: Jewish immigration and the decay of liberal England David Feldman 4 Free from chains? The image of women’s labour in London, 1900-20 Deborah Thom; Politics: visions and practices; 5 Radical clubs and London politics, 1870-1900 John Davis 6 ‘The millennium by return of post’: Reconsidering London Progressivism, 1889-1907 Susan Pennybacker 7 Popularism and proletarianism: Unemployment and Labour politics in London, 1918-34 James Gillespie 8 The suburban nation: Politics and class in Lewisham Tom Jeffery; Identities; 9 ‘Fierce questions and taunts’ Married life in working-class London, 1870-1914 Ellen Ross 10 Becoming a women in London in the 1920s and 1930s Sally Alexander 11 The ‘cockney’ and the nation, 1780-1988 Gareth Stedman Jones; Index