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.Īt 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.

But as he emphasizes in his opening chapter, the U.S. Niall Ferguson's acclaimed Empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries, showing how a gang of buccaneers and gold-diggers planted the seed of the biggest empire in all history - and set the world on the road to modernity. Whatever good Britain achieved is ignored. But the author focuses entirely on the deplorable episodes of the British raj. As an immigrant from Sri Lanka (once part of the British Empire), I consider much of this book illuminating. Strangely hidden from view, the British Empire remains a subject of both shame and glorification. Sathnam Sanghera's new book, Empireland, focuses on how British imperialism shaped the trajectory of that country's history. Written by R P Fernando Empireland has been widely praised and has reached the bestseller lists.

'The real remedy is education of the kind that Sanghera has embraced - accepting, not ignoring, the past' Gerard deGroot, The TimesĮMPIRE explains why there are millions of Britons living worldwide.ĮMPIRE explains Brexit and the feeling that we are exceptional.ĮMPIRE explains our distrust of cleverness.ĮMPIRE explains Britain's particular brand of racism. Empireland is the product of four years of intense reading (I've basically got a whole room full of imperial books) that begins with Sanghera cheerfully professing to know a little less than. ***THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY 'EMPIRE STATE OF MIND'*** WINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH BOOK AWARD FOR NARRATIVE NONFICTION With a new introduction by the author and a foreword by Booker Prize-winner Marlon James, Empireland is a revelatory and lucid work of political history that offers a sobering appraisal of the past so we may move toward a more just future.

Empire land book