Maria Milanova

Topic

Colonial Reproductions of Everyday Spaces: An Analysis of the Empress Hotel

Department of Political Science

Date & location

• Wednesday, September 11, 2024

• 1:30 P.M. 

• David Turpin Building

• Room A318

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Mara Marin, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Avigail Eisenberg, Department of Political Science, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Reuben Rose-Redwood, Department of Geography, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Jason Collins, Department of English, UVic

   

Abstract

My thesis argues that the Empress Hotel functions as a colonial infrastructure that not only normalizes but actively reproduces colonial power dynamics through its spatial organization. This landmark embodies and reinforces historical colonial power structures while simultaneously generating new forms of colonial relations, thereby perpetuating the disruption of Indigenous relationships with the land.

I make three arguments about how colonialism and colonial relations are embodied and reproduced through the material and spatial structure of the Empress. First, I argue that the Empress Hotel's strategic location atop reclaimed land asserts colonial domination by rendering Indigenous lands as "waste" to be “civilized”. Second, I argue that the Empress’ architecture, the Baronial-Chateau style inspired by European traditions, symbolizes the Canadian state's efforts to legitimize its colonial project and assert its sovereignty. Third, I argue that the practices and artifacts of colonial spaces, including the themed rooms of the Empress, the Bengal Lounge and Palm Court, and ritualized practices like afternoon tea, recreate colonial social hierarchies and relations.

I further argue that the organization of these colonial social spaces is inextricably linked to the production of power, with the two being mutually dependent. By examining the micro level manifestations of colonial power in the Empress Hotel, I illuminate the broader mechanisms of macro-level political domination. This approach addresses a gap in political science, which traditionally overlooks how power manifests in everyday colonial structures.

The study contributes to our understanding of how colonial power manifests in everyday structures by critically expanding Henri Lefebvre's work through integration with Glen Coulthard's notion of "colonial relations" to provide a more comprehensive framework for analyzing settler colonialism and the reproduction of colonial relations spatially. At the same time, the research also discloses the potential for resistance in relation to alternative ways of inhabiting these spaces. In so doing, I emphasize the need for critical engagement with the spaces we inhabit and experience.