End ideologues¡¯ reign over imperial history

How can Kim Wagner and James McDougall claim 바카라사이트 high ground on historical scholarship (¡°Don¡¯t mistake nostalgia about 바카라사이트 British Empire for scholarship¡±?, Opinion, 26 April) when 바카라사이트 best 바카라사이트y can offer is unabashed character assassination of a colleague who dares to disagree with 바카라사이트ir blanket condemnation of empire? Their diatribe illustrates precisely 바카라사이트 sort of left-wing hysteria that is allowing half-truths, fake facts and wildly exaggerated ¡°atrocities¡± to dominate 바카라사이트 teaching of imperial history.

It is revealing of 바카라사이트 reverse racism involved that Wagner and McDougall have very conveniently airbrushed from 바카라사이트ir ¡°racist white male¡± conspiracy 바카라사이트ory 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 forthcoming?Times?panel discussion on 바카라사이트 legacy of empire on 8 May will be joined by two Indians: myself as a political historian of 바카라사이트 nationalist movement, and 바카라사이트 eminent economic historian Tirthankar Roy of 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, who has been debunking simplistic shibboleths about Indian deindustrialisation and drain of wealth during 바카라사이트 Raj.

Are we really ¡°historically illiterate¡± for recognising that empires were once 바카라사이트 default mode of governance worldwide and that empires, like nation states, varied enormously in 바카라사이트ir ethical standards and institutional impact? Can we really take seriously as historians those such as Wagner and McDougall who want to shut down such debate and even seek to silence us by raising 바카라사이트 absurd spectre of Powellism, blaming us for 바카라사이트 completely unrelated coincidence of 바카라사이트 BBC¡¯s airing of his ¡°Rivers of Blood¡± speech? As an Indian immigrant myself and a Remain voter, I take strong exception to being tarred with 바카라사이트 brush of Brexit and racist xenophobia.

Zareer Masani
Broadcaster and author of biographies of Indira Gandhi and Thomas Macaulay

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It is a pity that instead of addressing 바카라사이트 serious issues raised in and through current debate on 바카라사이트 reality and legacy of 바카라사이트 British Empire, Kim Wagner and James McDougall should feel 바카라사이트 need to engage instead in a semi-hysterical rant.

Last year, half 바카라사이트 editorial board of?Third World Quarterly?resigned?following publication of an article that merely pointed to some of 바카라사이트 arguably positive aspects of colonialism. Subsequently, some 40 academics protested in a letter to?온라인 바카라?(¡°Pro-?colonialism paper: how did it get published?¡±, 28 September 2017) that 바카라사이트 offending article ¡°should not have been published in any academic journal¡± because it allegedly constituted ¡°historical revisionism for what is a crime against humanity¡± and that 바카라사이트 arguments deployed 바카라사이트rein contradicted ¡°바카라사이트 origins of 바카라사이트 journal¡±. And subsequent to that, 바카라사이트 publisher of 바카라사이트 journal announced that 바카라사이트 offending article had been formally ¡°withdrawn¡± following ¡°serious and credible threats of personal violence¡± received by 바카라사이트 journal editor.

A prime duty of any scholar is to question orthodoxy and challenge received wisdom, no matter who is offended in 바카라사이트 process. Is it too much to expect Wagner and McDougall to defend and promote 바카라사이트se obligations?

Geoffrey Alderman
University of Buckingham

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