A Very Brief Introduction to the British Empire Uncomfortable Oxford

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic references to colonial violence. In this special episode of 'A Very Brief Introduction to the British Empire', we invite Professor Gerry Kearns of Maynooth University to provide an important outline on the life of Roger Casement, and the legacy of his work documenting imperial atrocities, challenging British colonial rule and in his efforts to argue and fight for Irish independence.The content for this episode is based on a lecture live-stre...

This is the first episode of our final module of this series: Unmaking Empire? The last module begins with a lecture on the Inter-war period, providing a comprehensive look at the historical moment often labelled as the 'height' of the British Empire. Yet, when you look deeper into the structure of the empire in this period, you begin to see the cracks in power that had begun to form across the globe.Historian Jan Tattenberg provides an enlightening overview of these cracks, from Irish ...

We conclude our second module of the lecture series with a detailed overview of British Imperialism during the First World War.Historian Dr Jack Doyle takes you through the history of anti-colonial rebellion, white nationhood, and 20th-century imperialism.The content for this episode is based on a lecture live-streamed on our Facebook page on July 2nd. The information is aimed at a non-specialist audience who is interested in learning more about the legacies of the British Empire.This podcast...

We begin our second module of the lecture series with a detailed overview of British conquest in Asia.Historian Harriet Aldrich takes you through the history of British interaction with the African continent from the 1600s to the First World War. She highlights the importance of geography and maps in how Europeans historically approached the global south, and questions the generalised narrative often used in discussions about the history of a whole continent. The impact of European competitio...

We begin our second module of the lecture series with a detailed overview of British conquest in Asia.Historian Urvi Khaitan provides a discussion of the establishment of the British Raj after the revolt of 1857 and how British trade concerns led to numerous battles across south and east Asia. The substantial changes brought to ecosystems and economies extended beyond just the Indian Peninsula, affecting all surrounding nations and peoples. The Anglo-Burmese wars, the Opium Wars, and the Grea...

Our first module of the lecture series is complete with the release of our fourth episode, focussing on the Pacific Ocean.Historian Sean Philips talks about the development of a pan-pacific region in European thought, juxtaposing it with the long history of settlement across the many island nations in the Pacific Ocean. This episode problematises the legacy of James Cook and memories of 'first encounters' between Indigenous peoples across the Pacific and European colonisers. It finishes with ...