Greater Britain in South Africa: Colonial Nationalisms and Imperial Networks

Abstract

When rumours began to circulate in 1902 that the mines were considering indentured labour importation, the recent Boxer Rebellion, South African War, and general controversy of Asian migration ensured global coverage. Nor was British opinion the only opinion which mattered. When the Chamber tentatively approached Joseph Chamberlain about Chinese labour importation in January 1903, he was not encouraging, explaining: ‘The feeling at present all over South Africa is against such policy and, as long as this continues, it is not likely that the home Government would give its assent.’ He insisted instead that the scheme would only gain approval if local public opinion could be proven to support it.¹ As the Transvaal legislature was entirely appointed by Milner, this alone would not suffice. How public opinion in the Transvaal was to be gauged without an elected government or a referendum, or indeed who the ‘public’ was, remained unclear. Were only whites, only British, only men, only Transvaalers to be consulted? The ambiguity of this and the existing controversies over Asian migration naturally attracted considerable attention in the Transvaal and beyond. Just like the wider issues of Asian migration, this reveals important debates about the nature of the empire, whiteness, and Britishness.