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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Perry Collins’s electronic rim around the Pacific : the Russian-American telegraph, 1865 to 1867 Wilcockson, Stephen
Abstract
In my thesis, I explain the historical and geographical significance of the failed Russian- American Telegraph Expedition of 1865 to 1867. I explain how American Manifest Destiny facilitated the confident proposal of this stupendous scheme to connect America to Europe telegraphically by Bering Strait The telegraph men sent to British Columbia, Russian America and eastern Siberia struggled in horrendous conditions. In British Columbia the work improved communications, brought new work practices and stimulated discovery of northern corridors of power. In Russian America, the disastrous work resulted in masculinised, ethnocentric and boostered images of the landscape, and facilitated America's 1867 purchase of Alaska. In Siberia the American men suffered greatly, but, by contextualising the 'primitve barbarism' of Siberian environments and people, portrayed themeselves as heroes. Furthermore, surveyor George Kennan wrote and lectured in America on his Siberian travels, using them to frame his influential opinions on Russian expansion and Siberian exile. I conclude that the scheme facilitated the northward encroachment of modernity, dislocating Native lifeworlds.
Item Metadata
Title |
Perry Collins’s electronic rim around the Pacific : the Russian-American telegraph, 1865 to 1867
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1996
|
Description |
In my thesis, I explain the historical and geographical significance of the failed Russian-
American Telegraph Expedition of 1865 to 1867. I explain how American Manifest Destiny
facilitated the confident proposal of this stupendous scheme to connect America to Europe
telegraphically by Bering Strait The telegraph men sent to British Columbia, Russian America
and eastern Siberia struggled in horrendous conditions. In British Columbia the work improved
communications, brought new work practices and stimulated discovery of northern corridors of
power. In Russian America, the disastrous work resulted in masculinised, ethnocentric and
boostered images of the landscape, and facilitated America's 1867 purchase of Alaska. In Siberia
the American men suffered greatly, but, by contextualising the 'primitve barbarism' of Siberian
environments and people, portrayed themeselves as heroes. Furthermore, surveyor George
Kennan wrote and lectured in America on his Siberian travels, using them to frame his influential
opinions on Russian expansion and Siberian exile. I conclude that the scheme facilitated the
northward encroachment of modernity, dislocating Native lifeworlds.
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Extent |
21482177 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-09
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087607
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1997-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.