The great thing about writing a thesis is that you come across incredible books that you otherwise wouldn’t have known existed!
It’s been a while since I’ve jumped on here with a ‘Recommended Read’, but I’ve lately been reading (or, more correctly listening via my audiobook platform) to a fantastic work that I think readers of the blog and listeners of The Skeptical Historian will enjoy.
It’s called Empireland: How Imperialism has Shaped Modern Britain by British-Sikh journalist Sathnam Sanghera. It does exactly what the title suggests and examines how Britain’s imperial past continues to influence the ideas, politics and attitudes of Britons today. Sanghera expertly weaves his own personal experiences into the tales of empire and imperialism, and opens the lid on stories which deserve further attention.
But it’s not just a book about the British Empire’s troubling history (although there’s plenty of it) or how it plays out today. Sanghera expertly, in my opinion, expresses the complexity of Empire, and how it can’t be thought of as monolithic entity. For every appalling racist, semi-genocidal Viceroy or Governor, there were activists, both from the colonised communities and outside it, who openly opposed these policies, sometimes through protest and direct action, and otherwise through the courts. Sometimes they even won! For all the attempts by the British establishment to pretend until the abolition of slavery that it really was just an economic exercise, there were people on the ground who saw the horrific truth with their own eyes and made it their life’s work to educate Britons back home about what it was they were supporting, even inadvertently. William Wilberforce is one famous name associated with the abolition movement in Great Britain, but he wasn’t the first, not would he be the last anti-slavery activist of his generation, or those after. It could also be argued that his influence was mainly political, and that the real work of freeing the slaves was done by other activists, often freed slaves themselves, and it was certainly such people who forced the end of the hideous ‘apprenticeship’ system that followed the abolition of slavery.
Sanghera’s book is not just a journey through not just imperial history (in of itself a fascinating subject), but includes elements of memoir and personal reflection which bring the story closer to home. He posits thoughtful (and sometimes difficult) questions about why “Empire” remains such a touchy subject. He rejects simple arguments, opting instead to examine the nuanced and complex ideas that led Britain to declare itself the pinnacle of freedom, while oppressing tens of millions across its Empire. Racism was (and still is) a large part of these attitudes, but Sanghera goes deeper than the simplistic “Britain was a nation of racist, genocidal maniacs who believed they had a God-given right to rule the world” (this is not entirely untrue, but it’s an argument worth picking apart). What was the influence of money and class in Britain and within the different countries of the Empire? How are we to understand instances, and there were many, of colonised people aiding the British in the destruction of their countries? Where do military campaigns cross the line into racialised violence? And, perhaps the pivotal question of the work, was Empire really that long ago?
Sanghera puts effort and energy into picking apart these ideas, and makes use of an extensive bibliography which can be seen as a ‘Further Reading’ list for those interested. Despite its heavy subject matter, Sangera includes many moments of lightness, and the book is written in an accessible, non-academic style. If you’re like me and find audiobooks to be more your speed, you won’t lose any of the subtly or nuance by having it read to you. Whatever format you choose to experience it in, it is both an enjoyable and thought provoking read.
Anyone, regardless of their origin, living in Britain or a former British colony today has been affected or shaped in some way by the legacy of empire. Sanghera’s book reminds us to be aware of the past, and make positive change towards the future. Forgetting empire would be a catastrophe, but equally catastrophic is picking and choosing the bits we share as ‘history’. After all, history is nasty, ugly and uncomfortable: if it wasn’t, everyone would be studying it.
You can purchased “Empireland” anywhere good books are sold, and it is also available as an e-book and audiobook through multiple platforms.