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Empireland
- How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
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Empireland
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2021.
A Sunday Times best seller.
In his brilliantly illuminating new book Sathnam Sanghera demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in our imperial past. In prose that is, at once, both clear-eyed and full of acerbic wit, Sanghera shows how our past is everywhere: from how we live to how we think, from the foundation of the NHS to the nature of our racism, from our distrust of intellectuals in public life to the exceptionalism that imbued the campaign for Brexit and the government's early response to the COVID crisis. And yet empire is a subject weirdly hidden from view.
The British Empire ran for centuries and covered vast swathes of the world. It is, as Sanghera reveals, fundamental to understanding Britain. However, even among those who celebrate the empire there seems to be a desire not to look at it too closely - not to include the subject in our school history books, not to emphasise it too much in our favourite museums.
At a time of great division, when we are arguing about what it means to be British, Sanghera's book urges us to address this bewildering contradiction. For it is only by stepping back and seeing where we really come from that we can begin to understand who we are and what unites us.
Critic reviews
"This remarkable book shines the brightest of lights into some of the darkest and most misunderstood corners of our shared history." (James O'Brien)
"Lucid but never simplistic; entertaining but never frivolous; intensely readable while always mindful of nuance and complexity - Empireland takes a perfectly-judged approach to its contentious but necessary subject." (Jonathan Coe)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kazgriki
- 30-04-21
Salutary reminder of Britain's imperial past
Here is a book that every UK citizen should read as a reminder of the appalling atrocities carried out around the world in the advancement of the British Empire. This is a shocking part of Britain's history which sadly lingers on in the racist words and deeds of some British people today.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Brian R Pepper
- 17-05-21
Challenging
I had first heard about this book on Radio 4. Listening to it proved to be the challenge that I expected and whilst it informed the present by enlightening the past it left me with a feeling if helplessness about how the past can help a more positive future
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ebg
- 19-03-22
An Interesting Introduction
An interesting introduction to the history of the British Empire and it's impact on society today. Well worth a listen.
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- John
- 25-01-23
Must listen
I think this a valuable resource in discovering one’s feelings about a time which is seldom reported accurately and without sugar coating.
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- RJ
- 01-06-23
A delightful book
As a young-black Brit, reading this book was a glimpse into the British Empire. The book was balanced and extremely thought provoking.
It is true that British society needs to come together and tackle the true history of the Empire: both good and bad. Furthermore, if we fail to acknowledge our past we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Adam
- 17-02-24
Stunning
An incredible feat of research by the author. Very well narrated too, it actually felt as if Sanghera was reading his own words, such was the passion at times.
Looking forward to the follow up.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Will Simpson
- 13-12-21
The book that would change British society forever
If every school child was able to study the Empire on the level of detail this book goes into, we would be in such a better place as a society. Where past wrongs were acknowledged and black and brown British histories were shared and celebrated. this often disturbing analysis of why the British at large has become a nation of subconscious white supremacists without even knowing why. I believe this book if read by many would have a greatly beneficial impact on all classes.
a sad fact is , if our current home secretary Priti Patel had read this we would have a much fairer immigration policy post Brexit.
Deffo worth buying! Disclosure: I am a white cis gay millennial Londoner.
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- somanicnow
- 07-04-21
Masterful
This book should be included in A Level curriculums. It highlights all aspects of Empire to provide a well balanced understanding of a much distorted and overlooked subject.
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- Craig D. Glenday
- 01-08-21
Why is this stuff not taught in schools?
Dark and compelling account of the British Empire and its continuing resonance/aftershocks. Horrifying how little of this I’d ever given consideration to, so was well worth the listen. Would’ve been interesting to have more historical comparison with other empires, as the impression one gets is of the BE being singularly evil and a particular result of British attitudes, rather than a symptom of some unsavoury aspect of the human condition. But still, highly recommended.
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- Ben Jones
- 21-12-21
Learning from Empire
One of the central points that the author makes in this fascinating book, is that if we do not study empire then we won’t learn from it. It is strange, as he points out, that most of we children of the empire know more about the 5 years of the Second World War than the 500 years of our imperial past.
What lessons we should take from our past seems to be an active political debate, which is often conducted in ignorance of the history. However, this book is not preachy. It’s opinionated of course, but also rich with characters and events that shape those opinions.
A great listen!
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