"Is it still possible to have a rational and calm debate about the causes and legacies of British colonialism that begins with questions rather than answers? Professor Black shows the way forward in this readable and informed essay. It will frame the debate for years to come."
-Professor Bruce Gilley, Portland State University, and author of The Right to Rule: How States Win and Lose Legitimacy (2009)
"In the best tradition of the splendid Encounter Books, Imperial Legacies is very well researched, well written, and superbly provocative. Everything you''ve heard about the supposed evils of British imperialism will be turned on its head by Jeremy Black''s thoughtful, informed, and intelligent analysis. If you happen to be British, the shame you''ve been taught to feel about your forefathers'' work will be transformed into a genuine and lasting sense of pride."
-Professor Andrew Roberts, King''s College London, and author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny (2008)
"At a time when any praise of the British Empire attracts not just criticism but intemperate personal attacks, Professor Black''s book-based on his close study and experience of many former imperial possessions-provides an essential corrective. He counters ignorance of this part of the British past with evidence rather than assertion, and analysis rather than prejudice. The result is a compelling reappraisal of the imperial legacy, and a powerful argument made for the Empire''s propagation of the values of liberty, democracy, and civilization. Before the bigots who aim to close down discussion on the British Empire take any further steps, they should enlighten themselves by reading this superb book."
-Simon Heffer, Professor of Modern British History, Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham
"There are few better guides to the impact of Empire on these islands and the world than Jeremy Black. These are deeply contested questions but Professor Black is a sure-footed and clear-sighted guide. No debate about our imperial past and its legacy is complete without Professor Black''s brilliant analysis."
- Michael Gove, Environment Secretary and Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom
"Jeremy Black draws from his vast and eclectic resources to interrogate the meanings of ''empire,'' to challenge present political uses with past historical facts, and to offer a measured and comparative defense of the British Empire. Anyone who wants to engage on the imperial front of our current culture wars would benefit by arming themselves with this compact book."
- Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, University of Oxford
"As Black shows, the now all but ubiquitous condemnation of British ''imperialism'' rests on weak historical foundations. He not only points out the many incongruities and anachronisms that characterize much recent academic and popular writing on the subject, but also notes the many ways in which empire-bashing is instrumentalized for political purposes. This book will win Professor Black few friends, but it is a noble if doomed attempt to restore the British Empire to the realm of serious historical scholarship."
- Niall Ferguson, Milbank Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University
