THE BIRTH of modern Dundee is inextricably linked to the reach and influence of the British Empire, according to a new book written by a tutor from Dundee University.
Empire, Industry and Class: The Imperial Nexus of Jute, 1840-1940, written by Anthony Cox, was launched at the university last night.
The book analyses the everyday lives of the jute workers of Dundee and how the experiences of the city’s mechanics, engineers and managers who ran the Calcutta jute industry impacted upon them.
Mr Cox, a tutor in the university’s Continuing Education programme and the lead tour guide with Tayside Historical Tours, has shown how the informal support networks that were developed by the city’s jute workers were vital to helping them survive the sometimes brutal working and living conditions of jute workers in Victorian and Edwardian Dundee.
