Studies the creation of a distinctive 'high' culture in the industrial cities of Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester in the mid-nineteenth century and its incipient decline from the 1880s. This book argues for the importance of ritualised modes of social behaviour in understanding the construction of authority in the nineteenth-century city.
Focusing on the interplay between cultural theory and historical scholarship, this work explores the influence of key thinkers like Foucault and Butler on historians' approaches to the past. It critically examines concepts such as power, identity, and postcolonialism, offering a balanced overview of their significance in historiography. Written in an accessible style, it serves as a comprehensive guide for both students and researchers, highlighting the evolution of historical writing over the past two decades and suggesting future directions for the field.