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Legacy of Violence

A History of the British Empire
By Caroline Elkins
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Legacy of Violence by Caroline Elkins explores the brutal history of the British Empire, focusing on the systemic violence and repression carried out to maintain control. The book delves into historical evidence and personal testimonies to reveal the dark legacy that has shaped modern geopolitics.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are interested in exploring the historical impact of colonialism, particularly focusing on the British Empire's use of systemic violence. It provides a deeply researched narrative that examines the lasting effects of oppression on colonised societies, making it a compelling read for history enthusiasts and those interested in social justice.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a searing, landmark study of the British Empire that lays bare its pervasive use of violence throughout the twentieth century.

A NEW YORK TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, HISTORY TODAY AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Masterly... This book is dynamite - ROBERT GILDEA, author of Empires of the Mind

Winner of the NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize 2024
Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize

A searing, landmark study of the British Empire that lays bare its pervasive use of violence throughout the twentieth century.

Drawing on more than a decade of research on four continents, Caroline Elkins reveals the dark heart of Britain's Empire—a racialised, systemised doctrine of unrelenting violence, which it used to secure and maintain its interests across the globe.

When Britain could no longer maintain control over that violence, it simply retreated—and sought to destroy the evidence. Legacy of Violence is a monumental achievement that explodes long-held myths and deserves the attention of anyone who seeks to understand empire's role in shaping the world today.

Not so much a history book as a book of historical significance - BBC History Magazine

Riveting - New Statesman

Crucial... as unflinching as it is gripping, as carefully researched as it is urgently necessary - Jill Lepore, author of These Truths

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Legacy of Violence by Caroline Elkins has been praised for its masterful and crucial narrative, which is unflinching and gripping, as well as carefully researched and urgently necessary. Reviews highlight the book's demonstration of the British Empire's institutional racism and state-sponsored violence, concealed through historical rewrites. Critics call it a monumental achievement, an illuminating and authoritative work that remains relevant and significant today, with its intense and meticulously documented examination of British imperial misconduct making it a powerful and essential read.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099540250

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 54.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 699g

Pages: 896

Collections

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About the Author

Caroline Elkins is a professor of history and of African and African American studies at Harvard University and the founding director of Harvard's Centre for African Studies. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright and an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. Her first book, Britain's Gulag- The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Her research for that book was the subject of the award-winning BBC documentary Kenya- White Terror. She also served as an expert in the historic Mau Mau reparations case, brought against the British Government by survivors of violence in Kenya. She is a contributor to the New York Times Book Review, Guardian, Atlantic, Washington Post and New Republic. She lives in Watertown, Massachusetts.

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