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Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

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  • Create Date：2021-08-19 07:51:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Sathnam Sanghera
  • ISBN：0241445310
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Summary

***FEATURING UPDATED AND NEW MATERIAL***

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 book， Sathnam Sanghera shows how our imperial past is everywhere: from how we live and think to the foundation of the NHS and even our response to the COVID-19 crisis。

At a time of great division， when we are arguing about what it means to be British， Empireland is a groundbreaking revelation - a much-needed and enlightening portrait of contemporary British society， shining a light on everything that usually gets left unsaid。
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'Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject' Jonathan Coe

'I only wish this book has been around when I was at school' Sadiq Khan， Mayor of London

'This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history' James O'Brien

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Reviews

Ameet Shah ，

It is an interesting book but ultimately unsatisfying。 It documents the awakening of Sathnam Sanghera rather than a deep analysis of Empire， its consequences and options to address the past。 Prior to writing the book， he was blissfully unaware of the breadth and complexity of empire and all the terrible things done in its name。 He clearly loves Britain， and， like a son who loves his father but discovers that he is a serial murderer， we go through all the seasons of his emotions - at one moment t It is an interesting book but ultimately unsatisfying。 It documents the awakening of Sathnam Sanghera rather than a deep analysis of Empire， its consequences and options to address the past。 Prior to writing the book， he was blissfully unaware of the breadth and complexity of empire and all the terrible things done in its name。 He clearly loves Britain， and， like a son who loves his father but discovers that he is a serial murderer， we go through all the seasons of his emotions - at one moment totally disgusted with Empire and at another moment seeing the good side of the British。 Ultimately he comes to the obvious conclusions。 First that the collective amnesia about Empire， we are practising， is a bad thing。 Who can argue with that？ And second that we need to move past the idea of Britain as a white Christian country; Britain of today， and the Empire of yesterday， are/were both multicultural at their roots。 Who can argue with that either？ Where he falls down is at the same place as every other similar person - at what to do。 He thinks that teaching Empire at school and restitution from museums and a few other items like that would make a material difference。 For me， that is deeply unconvincing。 Empire may have been one of the causes of racism and British exceptionalism but those now have a life of their own。 The Indians have a habit of blaming all their current ills on the British Empire and now， Satnam Sanghera is blaming all the ills of modern Britain on that too。 Indians have had plenty of opportunity to transform their own country and， in many ways， they have made as big a mess as the British did。 Modern Britain's problems are our own。 We need to own it and move forward。 I was unsurprised by what he discovered （though learned many new examples） and unconvinced by what he proposed。 。。。more

JAMES SMITHER ，

This is an interesting and fast-moving read but to me it felt somewhat jumbled and unstructured and therefore a little disorienting at the same time: its chapters are broadly shaped around themes like money， education， class and racism， intermingled with author's own recollections and self-reflection， and also geographically and chronologically non-linear。 Being thematic reflects recent trends in non-fiction， but I did feel this led to some repetition。The anecdotes Sanghera deploys are powerful， This is an interesting and fast-moving read but to me it felt somewhat jumbled and unstructured and therefore a little disorienting at the same time: its chapters are broadly shaped around themes like money， education， class and racism， intermingled with author's own recollections and self-reflection， and also geographically and chronologically non-linear。 Being thematic reflects recent trends in non-fiction， but I did feel this led to some repetition。The anecdotes Sanghera deploys are powerful， and often shocking as no doubt and rightly intended， But as such， perhaps reflecting the author's personal interest as well as the direction his reading took， it is in my mind excessively focused on India - which as he states was in many ways exceptional rather than typical of Britain's long and painful colonial experiment。 A work with the ambition and stated topic this one has would to me have felt more well-rounded with parallel studies of how the British empire's legacy also birthed two of the most insidious examples of structural racism known globally: apartheid in South Africa and segregation/Jim Crow in the US South， for instance。I would also have found another layer of comparison useful。 The book considers whether Britain is exception in how its empire seeds its modern issues with （structural） racism but， other than some very minimal cross references to France and Germany near its conclusion， never asks whether the story is different， or indeed similar， in other comparable （and "multicultural"） European countries that also had large empires – such as not only the French but also the Portuguese， Belgians， Spanish， Dutch， Russians and so on。 Nor does it ask whether modern-day racism is materially different in rather more enclosed， less "multicultural" but still post-"imperial" societies like Japan and China。 Overall， in other words， this is enlightening and emotive but ultimately insubstantial and slightly frustrating as such。 I hope it doesn't sound cruel to say it feels like it was rushed out to capitalise on the "moment" created by #BLM and the Colston protest in Bristol in particular。 As someone who did elect to study History at university - including African and US history， with a strong focus on racism as a recurring theme - I would've perhaps better enjoyed a more comprehensive， "benchmarked" and comparative study along similar lines but of the type a professional sociologist or historian might've produced instead。 。。。more

Bhanu Dhir ，

Personal revelation Where this differs from Dalrymple or Tharoor is the personal revelation experienced by the author。 Not knowing about his own history triggered a search for meaning， the consequences of which are deeply felt by the author。 His journalistic professionalism gives the book balance and there is both pragmatism and optimism in its conclusion

Nick ，

A 47 page bibliography - not read but noted - and 18 pages of notes， ditto， should tell you that Sathnam Sanghera has not only done his work here but has tried hard to understand something he days to necessarily know of。 Seeing I’ve read this non-fiction book within two days should let you know that I have been kept enthralled by this。 Maybe some of it has gone over my head， although it is very accessible and mostly jargon free， but from a slightly blasé take on statuegate in the past I have cer A 47 page bibliography - not read but noted - and 18 pages of notes， ditto， should tell you that Sathnam Sanghera has not only done his work here but has tried hard to understand something he days to necessarily know of。 Seeing I’ve read this non-fiction book within two days should let you know that I have been kept enthralled by this。 Maybe some of it has gone over my head， although it is very accessible and mostly jargon free， but from a slightly blasé take on statuegate in the past I have certainly learned a few things I either didn’t know at all or which I would speak about only in generalisations and platitudes。 For these reasons this does get my five stars。 。。。more

Carolyn Drake ，

Sanghera has an appealing prose style， and his shrewd examination of the many ways Britain's imperial past has affected - and continues to affect - aspects of our lives today， is an intelligent and informative read。 I particularly liked the way he admits his own ignorance and misconceptions about the empire， which illustrates how British people from different ethnic backgrounds have all been misled by the portrayal of the Empire。 Shocking in places， this is an honest and clear look at a past whi Sanghera has an appealing prose style， and his shrewd examination of the many ways Britain's imperial past has affected - and continues to affect - aspects of our lives today， is an intelligent and informative read。 I particularly liked the way he admits his own ignorance and misconceptions about the empire， which illustrates how British people from different ethnic backgrounds have all been misled by the portrayal of the Empire。 Shocking in places， this is an honest and clear look at a past which we deserve to have already been taught about。 。。。more

Christopher Patton ，

This is an important subject， and I was pleased to see that Sanghera didn’t just write a one sided polemic。 I like his journalism and was looking forward to this， but it’s all very lightweight。 Just as he begins to get into a point， he wraps it up and moves on。 This 305 page hardcover has 90 pages of bibliography， notes and index。 The text itself is only 216 pages heavy on anecdotes。 He could have done so much more。This reads a bit like a proposal for a television series。

Robbie ，

Well researched， relatively balanced。 More autobiographical than I expected。 Good starting point for a layperson interested in the discourse around the British Empire and its long term residual effects。 Have noted some of the referenced sources for further reading！

Ffion ，

“Let’s face it， imperialism is not something that can be erased with a few statues being torn down or a few institutions facing up to their dark pasts; it exists as a legacy in my very being and， more widely， explains nothing less than who we are as a nation。”

Paul ，

Empireland – A remarkably lucid bookSathnam Sanghera has written a remarkably lucid book about the one subject most people in Britain know little about， but talk a lot of – empire， Britain’s Imperial Past。 Those of us who are historians are used to being attacked as woke when we address the complex issues of empire。 We often get told we hate our country， sorry I love my country， but I do question what has been done in our name。This is a very personal journey of discovery for Sanghera， as a Black Empireland – A remarkably lucid bookSathnam Sanghera has written a remarkably lucid book about the one subject most people in Britain know little about， but talk a lot of – empire， Britain’s Imperial Past。 Those of us who are historians are used to being attacked as woke when we address the complex issues of empire。 We often get told we hate our country， sorry I love my country， but I do question what has been done in our name。This is a very personal journey of discovery for Sanghera， as a Black Country Sikh like the rest of the country has been taught very little or nothing at all about what happened in the empire。 In Empireland he shines a light on some of the darkest corners and misunderstood corners of our shared history。 As a journalist Sanghera has brought a flourish to the writing of a very difficult subject。 This book challenges some of the nostalgia that has festered around the empire， when a quarter of the world’s map was covered in pink for “our” empire。 As someone born in 1969， I have none of the rose tinted glasses towards an empire and neither do many people alive in Britain today。 This can be seen in the Brexit vote with the desire of head back to a time of nostalgia of the 1950s and 1960s。 Across twelve chapters we get an excellent investigation on how imperialism shaped modern Britain。 It does not make for comfortable reading， if you open the book with an open mind。 With the recent acts of statues being torn down or defended， concert halls and schools being renamed or companies apologising for past actions as Sanghera puts it “the effect of British empire upon this country is poorly understood。 I could not have put it better myself。Sanghera is not afraid to tackle some of the tougher subjects including Enoch Powell’s infamous speech。 Explaining how his view was framed by the history of colonialism and that the white imperialists were the guiding lights and protectors of the dark ‘natives’。 The idea of equality was a calamity for Powell。We are reminded that for a long period of time， 1660 to 1807， Britain profiteered from the evils of slavery by shipping around 3 million Africans to America。 It was during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that the Prime Minister called imperialism and empire “the vulgar and bastard imperialism of irritation and provocation and aggression… of grabbing everything even if we have no use for it ourselves。”In the imagination of the modern imperialist， the empire was a good thing， there are only two states: dominant and submissive， coloniser and colonised。 If England is not an imperial power， it must be the only other thing it can be: a colony。 Those who campaigned to leave the EU described our past and future relationship with the EU in colonial terms。 Dominic Raab said Britain would be able to resume its historic role as a buccaneering free trader。 Clearly did not understand that British free trade in the nineteenth century was accompanied with a Royal Navy gunboat， and canon to fire our way to “free” trade。It must be remembered that Clive of India is blamed for the Great Bengal Famine of 1770 estimated to have killed 10 million people。 Clive received one of the largest windfalls in history which today was the equivalent to £702 million。 When William Dalrymple describes Clive as an “unstable sociopath” it seems rather restrained。 Clive was widely loathed during his lifetime， Samuel Johnson stated that Clive had “acquired his fortune by such crimes that his consciousness of them impelled him to cut his own throat。” When Clive committed suicide in 1774 he was placed in an unmarked grave。Empireland is an excellent book， that is accessible， well researched and conveys a message that we all need to learn about imperialism and the empire， and not see things through rose-tinted glasses。 We need to open our eyes。 We need to ask how people gained their fortunes at the expense of others。 Remember the slave compensation act was in favour of those who owned slaves not the people who were enslaved。 The compensation bill we finally settled in 2015， nearly 200 years after it was enacted。We really need to do as the Germans would say – Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung， work off the past。 Maybe it is because we have not been invaded since 1066， that we have never had to revaluate our actions and our history。 If we did we may understand why some countries in the world see us as the bogeyman， Iran， Iraq spring to mind。Buy this book， read this book， it is engaging and you will learn something。 。。。more

Ed O'Connell ，

This is one of the most shocking and disturbing books I have read。 Like Sathnam Sanghera my school history education， served to force feed me， 1066， the Tudors， and Elizabeth 1。 My vague notion of empire was of a glorious past and an honourable conferring of independence in the 1950’s-60’s。 This book removes a veil to uncover the reality of a past so shameful as to exceed the horrors of the 20th century。 It simultaneously demonstrates the origins of British racist attitudes can be traced back to This is one of the most shocking and disturbing books I have read。 Like Sathnam Sanghera my school history education， served to force feed me， 1066， the Tudors， and Elizabeth 1。 My vague notion of empire was of a glorious past and an honourable conferring of independence in the 1950’s-60’s。 This book removes a veil to uncover the reality of a past so shameful as to exceed the horrors of the 20th century。 It simultaneously demonstrates the origins of British racist attitudes can be traced back to Empire。 This is a wholly credible account of the consequences of empire， the historical atrocities and evidence of continuing impact in Britain today。 The absence of this history from our school’s curriculum is a further terrible stain on this country。 Sanghera’s recommendations for it’s inclusion in the curriculum is unarguable as are his many other strategies to deal with related societal issues in Britain today。 。。。more

David Blain ，

Fascinating。 Demonstrates how poor my historical education has been and has improved my understanding of our roots。

Tom ，

Exceptional book that will change how I teach。 Only criticism is I wanted more！

Steven McCallum ，

This is a crucial and incisive account of how the legacies of Empire， colonialism， imperialism and slavery continue to influence Britain's self-image; as well as how it perceives and distinguishes the rest of the world。 Provocative and meticulously researched。 This is a crucial and incisive account of how the legacies of Empire， colonialism， imperialism and slavery continue to influence Britain's self-image; as well as how it perceives and distinguishes the rest of the world。 Provocative and meticulously researched。 。。。more

Gabriel Stein ，

Well worth readingThis is a well-written， well-argued， and passionately argued book about the influence of the Empire on modern Britain。 Sometimes you may not agree with the author， but it is certainly difficult to disagree with his call for more， wider and better teaching of history， notably the history of the British Empire， in British schools。

Umbar ，

Been incredibly excited to dig into this， it was entirely worth the wait。 Such an incisive look at how colonisation has shaped modern day Britain。 Highly， highly recommend this。

Tom ，

Badly needs a proper editor

Melanie ，

People would learn more of - and from - history if they read more books like this: a focused （and personal） historical exploration， with no illusions of breadth or depth， that nonetheless covers a great deal while considering modern implications and meanings。

Meraj Ondhia ，

This book is a good insight into the nature of the British Empire。 The author does well to retain objectivity throughout most of the book。 This book would serve as a good foundation on which to explore the crimes of the British Empire further。

Karen Lynn ，

Everything I never wanted to know about beloved England。 I learned about this book when I heard the author， Sathnam Sanghera， speak online at the Hay Festival in May。 Excerpting for my new Contemporary British Literature class。

Jason Wilson ，

Stylistically not a great book but it more or less succeeds in its aim。 It starts off as a bit scattergun， throwing out thoughts with little cogency but then does settle down thematically。 Whilst not a great prose style， there is valuable content。 The book wants to show how far the empire has built our life and consciousness today。 As well as revealing work on commodity， etymology etc there is good stuff on the dangers of nostalgia politics and our ignorance of history in general， especially （ i Stylistically not a great book but it more or less succeeds in its aim。 It starts off as a bit scattergun， throwing out thoughts with little cogency but then does settle down thematically。 Whilst not a great prose style， there is valuable content。 The book wants to show how far the empire has built our life and consciousness today。 As well as revealing work on commodity， etymology etc there is good stuff on the dangers of nostalgia politics and our ignorance of history in general， especially （ in this context ） imperial history， and our inability to process it maturely。 The book is also commendably balanced 。 It debunks exaggerations of British violence where appropriate without shying from the genuine atrocities （ and while not new information， let’s not forget they were horrific ） 。 It also doesn’t shy from the disputes between colonised peoples such as Hindus and Muslims that ， along with British fears of a united independent India ， became an issue during Partition。 The author is also not afraid to point out that self doubt about empire， looting etc was as prevalent during imperial times as after。 I also liked the call for widening rather than decolonising of curriculums， for black and Asian writers to sit equally alongside， but not replace past authors who were part of an imperial culture 。As much as I detest the phrase All Lives Matter as a trite dodging of the core issue raised by BLM， cancel culture （ on the right as much as the left ） is not the way to process things culturally。 The book also points out how shifting attitudes to empire created anti racism too and other positives too。 But while the slightly impressionistic style adds a nice personal touch it also means it feels a bit dashed off in places and I wanted more 。 I appreciate who it’s aiming at ， but after BLM I wanted more about the stories behind the statues as this is why the issue matters 。 The major revelation of the whole BLM issue for me was how much of our country’s prosperity is built on empire and slavery - from our universities down， and more on this was needed。 But a real strength is the way the book looks at his empire shaped our psyche 。Whilst we can’t just overthrow what’s built on this past， （ though who if anyone we honour with statues if often spurious and I don’t have a big issue with that）， hiding behind our union jacks isn’t helping us to evaluate and learn from it either and so this book is still a useful challenge。 As much as some posturing by our PM and culture secretary has made me wince （ though I have mixed view on repatriation of artefacts and am glad I can see them in England ） I couldn’t believe David Cameron saying on the site of the Amritsar massacre that there was much to be proud of in empire。 Well， actually， I could。 。。。more

Michael Bernard ，

What a compelling book。 Balanced， measured and factual， Sathnam tells the story of empire and relates it to the experience of his family with a remarkable lack of bitterness。 He brings humour and wisdom as well as sadness to the awful history and looks forward to how the story must be a part of everyone's education in future。 Strongly recommended。 What a compelling book。 Balanced， measured and factual， Sathnam tells the story of empire and relates it to the experience of his family with a remarkable lack of bitterness。 He brings humour and wisdom as well as sadness to the awful history and looks forward to how the story must be a part of everyone's education in future。 Strongly recommended。 。。。more

Rosamund ，

The particular strength of this book is the way Sanghera brings a personal dimension to his thorough survey of the topic。 It makes for a lively read despite the tough subject matter。

Emmi ，

Very enlightening read， connecting the present to the imperial past。 As a foreigner living in the UK， certain things and tensions make a lot more sense now。

Mike Jones ，

An excellent and enlightening book。

Abhinav Maheswaran ，

Book does a good job in highlighting the roots of British imperialism。 But the narrative is too long and not persuasive enough to complete the book。

Wayne Webb ，

Surprising that in such an immense scope and difficult picture to paint about the Empire， that the author finds a deeply personal and humble angle for himself and other people that are both British and wary of the empire and it’s worship。 All of the themes are covered well and it’s a gentle chastisement for a subject that is both both brutal and inhuman （maybe it’s not inhuman to be inhuman given history being the way it is） - I highly recommend this to anyone that has a rosy eye tint to the “Da Surprising that in such an immense scope and difficult picture to paint about the Empire， that the author finds a deeply personal and humble angle for himself and other people that are both British and wary of the empire and it’s worship。 All of the themes are covered well and it’s a gentle chastisement for a subject that is both both brutal and inhuman （maybe it’s not inhuman to be inhuman given history being the way it is） - I highly recommend this to anyone that has a rosy eye tint to the “Dads Army” view of British History。 。。。more

Juliet ，

This was a very informative book and I am extremely glad I read it。 As the book points out， the history of colonialism is almost entirely neglected in education， so listening to this book as an audiobook was very enlightening and I would recommend it to any British person。At times it did read a bit like a textbook and it often felt like there was not a clear message running through the book， but I think this definitely improved as the book went along。

Mark ，

Very relevant reading for the present time。 An excellent book。

Joe Maggs ，

In this book， Sanghera sets out to explore how British imperial history can explain so much about how Britain as a country and society behaves today， and he does so excellently。 This book is an eye-opener to the fact that we are intrinsically linked to our imperial past despite the passage of time and how an inability to face up to what is the uncensored version of British history has led us to where we are today。 As a result， it’s clear this book should be mandatory reading for all - yet anothe In this book， Sanghera sets out to explore how British imperial history can explain so much about how Britain as a country and society behaves today， and he does so excellently。 This book is an eye-opener to the fact that we are intrinsically linked to our imperial past despite the passage of time and how an inability to face up to what is the uncensored version of British history has led us to where we are today。 As a result， it’s clear this book should be mandatory reading for all - yet another recent publication tackling difficult topics that falls into such a category， but it’s true。 The most admirable and enjoyable part of this book is that Sanghera approaches and analyses the subject without any vitriol; he notes that attitudes held currently are not the sole fault of the opinion holder and that we as a country are not inherently evil， while still correctly pointing out the most uncomfortable and frankly despicable parts of our past actions as is wholly necessary。 。。。more

Ophelia Alderton ，

At the beginning I was unsure about this book because I didn’t feel it brought anything new to the conversation but I am glad I read on （it was in doubt about finishing but I just wasn’t that keen）。 Really interesting provocations on the impact of the colonial mindset in politics today。 Colonialism is suddenly not dead， just different。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0