What to read to understand imperialism and colonialism

THE HISTORY of colonialism and imperialism used to be an academic backwater. The subject was widely thought to be irrelevant, and those who studied it fogeyish and reactionary. Their younger colleagues were colonising the airwaves with fashionable new theses on feminist history, post-modern anything and cultural studies. But the rise of critical race theory, followed by the Black Lives Matter movement, changed the intellectual landscape dramatically. Colonialism and imperialism have come to be blamed by many, especially on the political left, for a lot of present ills, from systemic racism to economic inequality, and thus worthy of more attention. “Post-colonial studies”, practised largely by literary theorists, and imperial history have become intellectual battlegrounds. They are a new frontline in the culture wars, especially in Britain and America. These seven books provide clarity about a subject that now suffers from over-simplification and invective.