Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning – book review by Vicki Robinson
In our diverse society, few subjects are as emotive as the British Empire. Descendants of the colonised live alongside descendants of the colonisers, making discussion of the topic inherently awkward. As Dr Remi Adekoya wrote, “One’s story of successful expansion is the other’s reminder of humiliating subjugation”. Knowledge about this period of history is also patchy, and many citizens refrain from expressing their opinion as they worry about causing offence or encountering anger. It is therefore imperative that publishers and other media offer the public a broad range of views to encourage and enhance conversations throughout the UK.
Unfortunately, this is not happening. Divisive theories pitching “oppressors” against the “oppressed” dominate, and terms such as “white privilege” are bandied about. Discussion is often limited to the past misdoings of Britain, Europe and the West in general. Attempts to broaden the debate are quickly shut down, especially on social media.
Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, knows this all too well. Since 2017, when he wrote an article in The Times arguing that the British have reason to feel pride as well as shame about our colonial past, he has received considerable condemnation for challenging the narratives dominating debate in the UK today. Indeed, the publication of this book was delayed indefinitely by Bloomsbury because “public feeling” was “not currently favourable”. Fortunately, William Collins took it on.
Bloomsbury’s concerns were clearly limited to reputation, as Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning does not idealise the British empire. Biggar freely acknowledges the cruelty, violence and plundering that occurred. The book is a moral assessment and offers an ethical framework to guide the general reader through this complex topic. Rooted in Christian morality, Biggar uses theories such as the just war as tools to analyse and assess the British empire, notably controversial episodes including the Amritsar Massacre.
It is a helpful approach, and the book’s greatest strength is the questions it asks. Each chapter addresses central assumptions being made in current discussions and asks nuanced questions. For example, in Cultural Assimilation and ‘Genocide,’ Biggar examines what actually constitutes genocide, and the role of human choice in such a situation. In Human Equality, Cultural Superiority and ‘Racism’ he looks at making adverse judgements about another culture, what we mean by the term racism, and whether the empire was racist in essence. No one could accuse Biggar of not providing evidence. He offers plenty of detail, along with an extensive 130-page-long notes section.
The book does have its flaws. Tomiwa Owolade, author of the forthcoming book This is Not America, argued in the New Statesman that “he emphasises that the British empire was ethically complicated, but elsewhere he makes positive generalisations about this same empire”. This is fair. Britain’s ending of the slave trade within its empire, for example, was complex. But one does not have to agree with Biggar’s conclusions to find his questions useful. Others will answer them differently. That is surely the point.
Biggar’s approach draws out the moral complexity of his subject, and brings much-needed calmness to the discussion. It highlights how an ethical framework can enable people to rise above emotions when examining and debating difficult subjects. This is very much needed today in the West, where many people struggle with how to look at human failings and the existence and nature of evil. It also shows the importance of intellectual and political diversity in such a discussion. Much debate around empire has been dominated by historians and activists. What might thinkers from other disciplines such as psychology add to the discussion?
Perhaps the most important point that the book makes is that discussions of empire have wide-ranging consequences. In a time of shifting global powers, and authoritarian countries such as China providing viable alternative political models, how we in the West perceive ourselves is pivotal. As Biggar points out:
“What is at stake is not merely the pedantic truth about yesterday, but the self-perception and self-confidence of the British today, and the way they conduct themselves in the world tomorrow. What is also at stake, therefore, is the very integrity of the United Kingdom and the security of the West. That is why I have written this book.”
It is quite clear that the difficult aspects of Britain’s history are being used for political gain. When Biggar and others are attacked for stating different viewpoints, and attempts to point out the history of slavery in other parts of the world are shut down, it presents a distorted, negative view of Britain and the West that is damaging for democracy globally. Discussions of empire and slavery need to put the British and Western experience into the wider global context, and examine it as universal human experience. After all, if one goes back far enough, we are all descendants of colonisers and the colonised.