The British empire ran for centuries and covered vast swathes of the world. It is fundamental to understanding modern Britain : from the feeling that we can go it alone when it comes to everything from Brexit to global pandemics, to our distrust of cleverness and our particular brand of racism. However, even among those who celebrate it, there is a peculiar desire not to look at empire's legacy too closely.
We barely learn about it at school. Our institutions shy away from the subject. In Empireland, Sathnam Sanghera argues that we must confront this shared past if we are ever to understand who we are as a nation.
