Why am I passionate about this?
I am a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University. I have taught and written on political theory and cultural studies for over thirty years, specializing in theories of capitalism and imperialism. However, my main motivation for writing the books and articles I have published has had more to do with my life-long commitment to progressive social change and the political movements that can bring that change about. First and foremost, I have tried to make sometimes challenging theoretical and political concepts accessible to the informed reader and especially to those on the front lines of progressive political and social movements.
Colin's book list on reader-friendly books imperialism and colonialism
Why did Colin love this book?
Up until the 1960s, Buckingham Palace barred “colored immigrants” from working in clerical roles in the royal household. A recent official report demonstrated that both the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office are “institutionally racist.”
Meanwhile, recent estimates put the amount of wealth extracted by the British from India between 1765 and 1938 at $45 trillion and from Africa at $777 trillion. Despite these findings, nearly thirty percent of Britons believe the former colonies were better off under the empire. The reason that these forms of casual racism persist, Sanghera argues in this highly readable book, is a function of a simple fact: “that our society grew out of the racist institutions of the British Empire.” A highly racialized form of imperial nostalgia still permeates modern British society and contributes to a form of collective amnesia about the real history of the empire: “The British profited from slavery for many…
3 authors picked Empireland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
WINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH BOOK AWARD FOR NARRATIVE NONFICTION
***THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY 'EMPIRE STATE OF MIND'***
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'The real remedy is education of the kind that Sanghera has embraced - accepting, not ignoring, the past' Gerard deGroot, The Times
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EMPIRE explains why there are millions of Britons living worldwide.
EMPIRE explains Brexit and the feeling that we are exceptional.
EMPIRE explains our distrust of cleverness.
EMPIRE explains Britain's particular brand of racism.
Strangely hidden from view, the British Empire remains a subject of both shame and glorification. In his bestselling…