T HE 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.
殖民主义和帝国主义的历史曾经是学术后水。人们普遍认为该受试者是无关紧要的，并且那些研究了该主题的人。他们的年轻同事正在用有关女权主义历史，后现代的任何事物和文化研究的时尚新论文殖民电波。但是，批判种族理论的兴起随后是黑人生活问题运动，它极大地改变了智力景观。殖民主义和帝国主义已被许多人所指责，尤其是在政治左派上，从系统性的种族主义到经济不平等，因此值得更多关注。在很大程度上由文学理论家和帝国历史实践的“后殖民研究”已成为智力战场。它们是文化大战中的新前线，尤其是在英国和美国。这七本书提供了关于一个现在遭受过度简化和煽动性的主题的清晰度。
