Overview

This riveting new history tells the story of Britain’s journey from imperial power to a nation divided—one that alternately welcomes and excludes former imperial subjects and has been utterly transformed by them. In the turbulent years since the outbreak of World War II, Britain has gone from an imperial power whose dominion extended over a quarter of the world’s population to an island nation divorced from Europe. After the war, as independence movements gained momentum, former imperial subjects started making their way to her soggy shores. Would these men and women of different races, cultures, and faiths be accepted as British, or would they forever be seen as outsiders? In this deeply intimate retelling of the United Kingdom’s transformation from empire to island nation, Charlotte Lydia Riley shows that empire haunts every aspect of life in modern Britain. From race riots to the Notting Hill Carnival, from the Suez Crisis to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, from the Monday Club and Enoch Powell’s defiant calls to protect England’s racial purity to Band Aid, the Spice Girls, and Brick Lane, the imperial mindset has dominated Britain’s relationship with itself and the world. The ghosts of empire are to be found, too, in anti-immigrant rhetoric and royal memorabilia, in the pitched battles over how history should be taught in schools—and, of course, in Brexit. Drawing on a mass of original research to capture the thoughts and feelings of ordinary British citizens, Imperial Island tells a story of people on the move and of people trapped in the past, of the end of empire and the birth of multiculturalism, a chronicle of violence and exclusion but also a testament to community. It is the story that best explains Britain today.

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9780674258495

Table of Contents

Reviews

A masterful, ingeniously written telling of Britain's real history, stripped of its sugarcoating. Read this incisive and forensic book, and you won't look at Britain in the same way ever again.--Owen Jones, author of Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class An immaculately detailed and impeccably researched account of what shaped Britain as we know it, following the collapse of empire. This is an urgent book and fine example of why the past, and knowledge of the past, is so important in the present.--Helen Carr, author of The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster Charlotte Lydia Riley radically retells a stale old story in her clear, bold, refreshing voice. Skillfully, inexorably, and powerfully, she builds up a picture that's been hiding in plain sight for far too long.--Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, host of Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley, and author of Agatha Christie In Imperial Island, Charlotte Lydia Riley shows us that Empire's legacy is soaked into Britain's landscapes and built into its cities. From immigrant woes and racial tensions to the way in which imperial mindsets still color relations among black, white, and brown Britons, Empire is inescapably in the country's national DNA. An eye-opening study of the Empire within.--Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire Incisive, important, and incredibly timely. With a discerning eye for historical detail and a gift for storytelling, Riley traces the arc of empire's post-World War II influence on Britain and the nation's relationship to the world. Imperial Island is an urgent and necessary account for anyone wanting to understand how Britain became the nation it is today.--Caroline Elkins, author of Legacy of Violence

Riley’s absorbing new book…[is] a history of modern multicultural Britain and the myriad ways in which it has been shaped by empire and imperialism…Riley’s skills as a social historian are demonstrated to best effect in her use of personal testimonies, oral histories and popular culture sources to bring to life the everyday experiences of new migrants…The book is particularly rich on civil society campaigns against racism, and at documenting the political role played by the anti-war left in modern Britain…dexterously handled and carefully sourced. * Financial Times * A withering indictment of cruel Britannia…Riley gives injustices that ought to be better known their due. * The Guardian * Riley shows that attitudes to empire in Britain were always complex and contested…[She] provides some important corrections…[and] charts how, in the wake of decolonisation, imperialism continued to shape life in Britain…Riley shows, too, that our ‘history wars’ have a long history of their own. * New Statesman * At a time when discussion of the subject [of empire] can quickly devolve into ill-informed polemic, [this book] offers an extensively researched, thought-provoking alternative. * History Revealed * Riley’s book…examin[es], with considerable skill, Britain’s postwar retreat from empire…[and] recounts, with particular sympathy, the experiences faced by immigrants from the former empire. * The Telegraph * Riley's prose flows smoothly, connecting the dots to give the reader the wider picture. For anyone curious about Britain's colonial legacy in the modern era, Imperial Island will certainly be an eye-opener. * The National * [A] sure-footed history of Britain and its empire. The familiar national story from the people’s war of 1939–45 through to Brexit in 2016 and beyond is retold with the legacies of colonialism and racism front and centre…Few have pursued the theme with as much gusto as Riley. -- Miles Taylor * History Today * Incisive, important, and incredibly timely. With a discerning eye for historical detail and a gift for storytelling, Riley traces the arc of empire’s post–World War II influence on Britain and the nation’s relationship to the world. Imperial Island is an urgent and necessary account for anyone wanting to understand how Britain became the nation it is today. -- Caroline Elkins, author of <i>Legacy of Violence</i> In Imperial Island, Charlotte Lydia Riley shows us that Empire’s legacy is soaked into Britain’s landscapes and built into its cities. From immigrant woes and racial tensions to the way in which imperial mindsets still color relations among black, white, and brown Britons, Empire is inescapably in the country’s national DNA. An eye-opening study of the Empire within. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of <i>Inglorious Empire</i> Charlotte Lydia Riley radically retells a stale old story in her clear, bold, refreshing voice. Skillfully, inexorably, and powerfully, she builds up a picture that’s been hiding in plain sight for far too long. -- Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, host of <i>Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley</i>, and author of <i>Agatha Christie</i> A masterful, ingeniously written telling of Britain’s real history, stripped of its sugarcoating. Read this incisive and forensic book, and you won’t look at Britain in the same way ever again. -- Owen Jones, author of <i>Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class</i> An immaculately detailed and impeccably researched account of what shaped Britain as we know it, following the collapse of empire. This is an urgent book and fine example of why the past, and knowledge of the past, is so important in the present. -- Helen Carr, author of <i>The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster</i> Marvelous, engaging, and unflinching. Riley’s quest to ‘dignify unpowerful, unfamous people’s lives’ is both admirable and accomplished. This is a book not just about how big events impact ordinary people, but what it means to comprehend those world-historical events through their lives. We are given access to a wide variety of lenses, across class and race and geographical location, through which to appreciate how and why everyday citizens—and some who fought for recognition as such—were witnesses to history, and even drivers of it. Imperial Island is in fact an alternative history of the British empire, in part because it takes empire at home as a given and illustrates with a raft of irrefutable evidence how powerfully it has shaped practically all aspects of modern and contemporary British life. -- Antoinette Burton, author of <i>The Trouble with Empire: Challenges to Modern British Imperialism</i>

Riley’s absorbing new book…[is] a history of modern multicultural Britain and the myriad ways in which it has been shaped by empire and imperialism…Riley’s skills as a social historian are demonstrated to best effect in her use of personal testimonies, oral histories and popular culture sources to bring to life the everyday experiences of new migrants…The book is particularly rich on civil society campaigns against racism, and at documenting the political role played by the anti-war left in modern Britain…dexterously handled and carefully sourced. * Financial Times * A withering indictment of cruel Britannia…Riley gives injustices that ought to be better known their due. * The Guardian * Riley shows that attitudes to empire in Britain were always complex and contested…[She] provides some important corrections…[and] charts how, in the wake of decolonisation, imperialism continued to shape life in Britain…Riley shows, too, that our ‘history wars’ have a long history of their own. * New Statesman * At a time when discussion of the subject [of empire] can quickly devolve into ill-informed polemic, [this book] offers an extensively researched, thought-provoking alternative. * History Revealed * Riley’s book…examin[es], with considerable skill, Britain’s postwar retreat from empire…[and] recounts, with particular sympathy, the experiences faced by immigrants from the former empire. * The Telegraph * Riley's prose flows smoothly, connecting the dots to give the reader the wider picture. For anyone curious about Britain's colonial legacy in the modern era, Imperial Island will certainly be an eye-opener. * The National * [A] sure-footed history of Britain and its empire. The familiar national story from the people’s war of 1939-45 through to Brexit in 2016 and beyond is retold with the legacies of colonialism and racism front and centre…Few have pursued the theme with as much gusto as Riley. -- Miles Taylor * History Today * Incisive, important, and incredibly timely. With a discerning eye for historical detail and a gift for storytelling, Riley traces the arc of empire’s post–World War II influence on Britain and the nation’s relationship to the world. Imperial Island is an urgent and necessary account for anyone wanting to understand how Britain became the nation it is today. -- Caroline Elkins, author of <i>Legacy of Violence</i> In Imperial Island, Charlotte Lydia Riley shows us that Empire’s legacy is soaked into Britain’s landscapes and built into its cities. From immigrant woes and racial tensions to the way in which imperial mindsets still color relations among black, white, and brown Britons, Empire is inescapably in the country’s national DNA. An eye-opening study of the Empire within. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of <i>Inglorious Empire</i> Charlotte Lydia Riley radically retells a stale old story in her clear, bold, refreshing voice. Skillfully, inexorably, and powerfully, she builds up a picture that’s been hiding in plain sight for far too long. -- Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, host of <i>Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley</i>, and author of <i>Agatha Christie</i> A masterful, ingeniously written telling of Britain’s real history, stripped of its sugarcoating. Read this incisive and forensic book, and you won’t look at Britain in the same way ever again. -- Owen Jones, author of <i>Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class</i> An immaculately detailed and impeccably researched account of what shaped Britain as we know it, following the collapse of empire. This is an urgent book and fine example of why the past, and knowledge of the past, is so important in the present. -- Helen Carr, author of <i>The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster</i> Marvelous, engaging, and unflinching. Riley’s quest to ‘dignify unpowerful, unfamous people’s lives’ is both admirable and accomplished. This is a book not just about how big events impact ordinary people, but what it means to comprehend those world-historical events through their lives. We are given access to a wide variety of lenses, across class and race and geographical location, through which to appreciate how and why everyday citizens—and some who fought for recognition as such—were witnesses to history, and even drivers of it. Imperial Island is in fact an alternative history of the British empire, in part because it takes empire at home as a given and illustrates with a raft of irrefutable evidence how powerfully it has shaped practically all aspects of modern and contemporary British life. -- Antoinette Burton, author of <i>The Trouble with Empire: Challenges to Modern British Imperialism</i>

Riley’s absorbing new book…[is] a history of modern multicultural Britain and the myriad ways in which it has been shaped by empire and imperialism…Riley’s skills as a social historian are demonstrated to best effect in her use of personal testimonies, oral histories and popular culture sources to bring to life the everyday experiences of new migrants…The book is particularly rich on civil society campaigns against racism, and at documenting the political role played by the anti-war left in modern Britain…dexterously handled and carefully sourced. * Financial Times * A withering indictment of cruel Britannia…Riley gives injustices that ought to be better known their due. * The Guardian * Riley shows that attitudes to empire in Britain were always complex and contested…[She] provides some important corrections…[and] charts how, in the wake of decolonisation, imperialism continued to shape life in Britain…Riley shows, too, that our ‘history wars’ have a long history of their own. * New Statesman * At a time when discussion of the subject [of empire] can quickly devolve into ill-informed polemic, [this book] offers an extensively researched, thought-provoking alternative. * History Revealed * Riley’s book…examin[es], with considerable skill, Britain’s postwar retreat from empire…[and] recounts, with particular sympathy, the experiences faced by immigrants from the former empire. * The Telegraph * Riley's prose flows smoothly, connecting the dots to give the reader the wider picture. For anyone curious about Britain's colonial legacy in the modern era, Imperial Island will certainly be an eye-opener. * The National * Incisive, important, and incredibly timely. With a discerning eye for historical detail and a gift for storytelling, Riley traces the arc of empire’s post–World War II influence on Britain and the nation’s relationship to the world. Imperial Island is an urgent and necessary account for anyone wanting to understand how Britain became the nation it is today. -- Caroline Elkins, author of <i>Legacy of Violence</i> In Imperial Island, Charlotte Lydia Riley shows us that Empire’s legacy is soaked into Britain’s landscapes and built into its cities. From immigrant woes and racial tensions to the way in which imperial mindsets still color relations among black, white, and brown Britons, Empire is inescapably in the country’s national DNA. An eye-opening study of the Empire within. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of <i>Inglorious Empire</i> Charlotte Lydia Riley radically retells a stale old story in her clear, bold, refreshing voice. Skillfully, inexorably, and powerfully, she builds up a picture that’s been hiding in plain sight for far too long. -- Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, host of <i>Unsolved Histories with Lucy Worsley</i>, and author of <i>Agatha Christie</i> A masterful, ingeniously written telling of Britain’s real history, stripped of its sugarcoating. Read this incisive and forensic book, and you won’t look at Britain in the same way ever again. -- Owen Jones, author of <i>Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class</i> An immaculately detailed and impeccably researched account of what shaped Britain as we know it, following the collapse of empire. This is an urgent book and fine example of why the past, and knowledge of the past, is so important in the present. -- Helen Carr, author of <i>The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster</i>

Author Information

Charlotte Lydia Riley is Associate Professor of twentieth-century British history at the University of Southampton. She is the editor of The Free Speech Wars and has written for the Washington Post, The Guardian, New Statesman, New Humanist, and BBC World Histories. She cohosts a podcast, Tomorrow Never Knows, on feminism, pop culture, politics, and history.

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