colonial history
The complexities of our colonial legacy
Weighing the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ effects of British imperialism is a futile exercise, says Sathnam Sanghera. But he comes perilously close to doing just that
Britain’s recent darkest hour: the betrayal of the Chagos Islands
Philippe Sands’s compelling new book opens in 2018 at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where Liseby Elysé…
Abolishing slavery was no cause for smugness
When the 13 colonies of the United States declared independence in 1776, the first country to recognise the new nation…
The problem of the Benin Bronzes will never go away
A book about the looted African art known as the Benin Bronzes begins by clarifying that most of them are…
The British Empire is now the subject on which the sun never sets
Wrestling with the history of the British Empire is the unfinished and unfinishable project of our history. Time’s Monster takes…
Toussaint Louverture: the true hero of Haiti
Toussaint Louverture’s ‘crazy dream’ for Haiti has still to be realised, says Amy Wilentz
The Ghosts of Happy Valley, by Juliet Barnes - review
Rift Valley, Kenya The other day when I told the headmaster of a top British public school that I came…
