Presidential candidate’s potential ties to an Irish slave owner complicate narratives around colonial legacies and the proper place of Black Irish identity in history.
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Articles on British Empire
Displaying 1 - 20 of 129 articles
Eugen Sandow’s visit to South Africa in 1904 was a triumph of colonial display and racism. Despite its prejudices it influenced the development of bodybuilding in South Africa.
While Western Australia’s secession movement foundered, it sparked a series of debates around London’s obligations to overseas Britons, Britannic identity, and the future of imperial relations.
Convicts worked in the dockyards in Bermuda for 40 years.
A world where the US has fewer allies would be an even more dangerous place.
If Māori did not explicitly cede sovereignty in 1840, neither did they fully retain it. If sovereignty is already being shared, where does Te Tiriti o Waitangi sit within our unwritten constitution?
Shah Rukh Khan’s new film sheds light on the history of UK migration policy.
Colonialists daily reinforced a hierarchy that allowed white people to abuse Africans.
Retaining a statue or monument takes very little work – explaining it is a mammoth and contested task.
Some UK families whose wealth largely derives from the transatlantic slave trade have agreed to pay reparations.
Britain’s industrial revolution was built on slavery: both black labour and intellectual property.
The naming of streets, places and landmarks in colonial Nairobi was used to show the political, ideological and ethnic dominance of the British.
Philip Miller and Amit Chaudhuri have reworked national anthems to reflect the impact of history on official music.
Singing at King Charles III’s coronation tells a story of global histories coming full circle.
The coronation will have echoes of empire, but represents an important stage in the modern monarchy’s move away from its shadow.
Gems do not a monarch make, and repatriating the Crown Jewels would strengthen the contemporary British monarchy at a time when it most urgently needs to modernize.
Although King Charles will have a low-key ceremony this coronation, the Crown Jewels will still figure prominently. An exploration of the jewels tells a tale of exploitation, rape and pillage.
Charles’s culinary choices might be intended to recognise the multiculturalism of Britain today. But they are also a reminder of the difficult legacy of empire.
The coronation is a critical moment for King Charles to show that the monarchy can be more efficient and more sensitive to the legacy of British imperialism.
March 2 marks the 65th anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Intended to demonstrate Commonwealth unity, it became a symbol of Britain’s imperial decline.
Top contributors
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Professor of Indian and Colonial History, University of Liverpool
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Senior Lecturer in History, Anglia Ruskin University
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Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University, Canada
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Doctoral Researcher, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
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Professor of Historical Geography, University of Sussex
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Assistant Professor of History, Thompson Rivers University
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Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in British Politics, University of Liverpool
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Postdoctoral Fellow in International Law, Lund University
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Senior Lecturer, History, University of Aberdeen
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Senior Lecturer, Monash Intercultural Lab, Monash University
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Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen
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Professor of History, Royal Holloway University of London
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Lecturer in Media, Lancaster University
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SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for South Asian Studies, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
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Senior Lecturer in Employment Studies, University of Manchester
