Read more
Empireworld traces the legacies of British empire across the globe.
2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire''s influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road, and even shaping the origins of international law. Yet Britain''s idea of its imperial history and the world''s experience of it are two very different things.
In Empireworld, award-winning author and journalist, Sathnam Sanghera extends his examination of British imperial legacies beyond Britain. Travelling the globe to trace its international legacies - from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond - Sanghera demonstrates just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world.
And why it''s time Britain was finally honest with itself about empire.
PRAISE FOR EMPIRELAND
''Empireland, [a] scorching polemic on the afterburn of empire'' Ferdinand Mount, Financial Times
''This book should be on the compulsory reading list of every secondary school in the country'' John Simpson
''A compelling and distressing look at how imperialism has defined modern Britain'' David Harewood
''I am sold on the larger part of Sanghera''s thesis, that the empire could be rotten and we didn''t know enough about it . . . The history is on Sanghera''s side. The facts speak for themselves'' Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph<>
About the author
Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi immigrant parents in Wolverhampton in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but went on to graduate from Christ's College, Cambridge with a first class degree in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and his novel Marriage Material. Empireland has been longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, was named a Book of the Year at the National Book Awards of 2022, and inspired both the Channel 4 series Empire State of Mind and Sanghera's children's book about the British empire Stolen History. He lives in London.
Summary
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
In his ground-breaking new book, Sathnam Sanghera traces the legacies of British empire around the world.
‘Beautifully written, and not just a welcome corrective but a book for our times. This is essential reading’ Peter Frankopan
‘An absolute masterpiece’ James O’Brien
‘Deeply poignant . . . riveting . . . brave, painful, urgent and timely’ Jerry Brotton, Financial Times
_____________________________________________________
2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies.
The empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries, to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road, to the origins of international law. Yet Britain's idea of its imperial history and the world's experience of it are two very different things.
With an inimitable combination of wit, political insight and personal honesty, the award-winning author and journalist explores the international legacies of British empire – from the creation of tea plantations across the globe, to environmental destruction, conservation, and the imperial connotations of Royal tours.
His journey takes him from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond. In doing so, Sanghera demonstrates just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world.
And why it’s time Britain was finally honest with itself about empire.
_____________________________________________________
‘If Britain wants to move forward as a key player on the world stage, Sanghera demonstrates, we must take time to understand our past — all warts, and all wonders, considered’ Alice Loxton, The Sunday Times
‘Engages in deep research and historical re-analysis . . . also a profoundly moving work of personal insight, intelligence and compassion’ Elizabeth Day
‘Puts Sanghera in the firmament of great imperial historians’ Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The i
Instant Sunday Times bestseller, January 2024
