A Commonwealth of Knowledge: Empire, Intellectuals and the Chatham House Project, 1919–1939

Abstract

This article uses a Gramscian framework to explore how a group of committed intellectuals created a network of institutes of international affairs throughout the British Empire during the early decades of the 20th century. After outlining a Gramscian perspective on the political role of intellectuals, it discusses the two main antecedents of the Chatham House project, namely, Lord Alfred Milner’s Kindergarten and the Round Table Movement. The third section briefly examines Chatham House’s establishment, and the fourth looks at how this project was exported to strategic locations throughout the British Empire. This process of expansion is illustrated with reference to the cases of South Africa, India and the Irish Free State. The final section critically evaluates the core values that underpinned the Chatham House project, namely, the application of the scientific mentality to international affairs, the developmental potential of capitalism, a hierarchical conception of racial difference, and a fervent commitment to the superiority of British civilization.