Performance as Politics: Lady Constance Villiers-Stanley and the Responsibilities of a Vice Regal Consort in Canada
Loading...
Authors
Sapielak, Michaela
Date
2024-08-14
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
vice regal consorts , british social and cultural conventions , gender norms , nineteenth-century Canada
Alternative Title
Abstract
Constance Villiers-Stanley (1840-1922) is a historical figure largely unknown in Canada today; however, in the late nineteenth century, she lived at the highest levels of Canadian society. During her husband Frederick Stanley’s (1841-1908) time as governor general of Canada, Villiers-Stanley served as vice regal consort and was an important part of the vice regal unit, where each played different yet complimentary roles. Villiers-Stanley’s public role saw her involvement with philanthropic initiatives, social networks in Ottawa, and demonstrations of imperial authority and culture in the Canadian west as well as similar affirmations in spaces of formal politics. In her public-facing endeavours, Villiers-Stanley embodied an idealized version of aristocratic British womanhood that helped reinforce conventional social hierarchies, and gender norms. In her engagements with the people of Canada, Villiers-Stanley utilized condescension, consciously or unconsciously, as a social strategy to bolster perceptions of her elevated status. Limited archival sources in her own voice reveal that Villiers-Stanley actively performed the role of vice regal consort, sometimes contrary to her personal inclinations. Ultimately, this thesis argues that Villiers-Stanley’s role contributed to the maintenance of British social and cultural conventions in Canada. It speaks to the significance of vice regal consorts in the empire, and more broadly, to women’s involvement in spaces deemed formally political.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.