Settler colonialism goes postal! Charli Muller, ‘The Capitalist and Colonial Logics of Rowland Hill’s Postal Reforms: Terra Nullius, Uniform Pricing, and “Conveyance at the Lowest Rate”’, monde(s), 26, 2024, pp. 51-74 | settler colonial studies blog

Settler colonialism goes postal! Charli Muller, ‘The Capitalist and Colonial Logics of Rowland Hill’s Postal Reforms: Terra Nullius, Uniform Pricing, and “Conveyance at the Lowest Rate”’, monde(s), 26, 2024, pp. 51-74

29Sep24

Abstract: Rowland Hill’s 1837 Post Office Reform is credited with influencing Britain’s Postage Act of 1839 which introduced uniform, low pricing and prepayment of mail. These reforms then influenced the 1874 Treaty of Bern. Post Office Reform was written while Hill served as the South Australian Colonization Commission’s secretary. Studying this context, we gain new insights into the colonial and capitalist logics behind his postal reforms, which were influenced by Edward Gibbon Wakefield’s scheme of colonization.

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