How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe

Times columnist and multi-award-winning author and historian, Sathnam Sanghera revealed how Empire continues to shape life in Britain today in his ground-breaking work, Empireland. Now, he joins us LIVE to explore its lasting impact on the rest of the globe.

2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The Empire’s influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road, and even shaping the origins of international law. Yet Britain’s idea of its imperial history and the world’s experience of it are two very different things.

Sathnam travelled the globe tracing the Empire’s international legacies – from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond. In this event, he’ll show us just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world. And why it’s time Britain was finally honest with itself about Empire.

Presented in partnership with How To Academy.

“A remarkable and important work – one that is finely judged, beautifully written and not just a welcome corrective but a book for our times.” Peter Frankopan author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World.

“To read Sathnam Sanghera is to understand the world anew. Vanishingly few writers can lay claim to his breadth of talent.” Elizabeth Day author of Friendaholic and host of podcast How To Fail.