Our Abdiel: The British Press and the Lionization of ‘Chinese’ Gordon

Abstract

Argues that press coverage surrounding the death of Gordon provides an exemplary instance of the functioning of imperial discourse. His lionization as a charismatic leader emerged from lacunae in reporting, as a response to international criticism rather than as justification for his intervention, which helped unify diverse representations of British imperial activity. Claims Gordon was nostalgically celebrated as an anomalous representative of an heroic imperial past, while at the same time critiques of imperial ideology were able to emerge in the press.