The Long Shadow of the British Empire - by J Milner-Thornton (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book explores the lived experiences of formerly colonized people in the privacy of their homes, communities, workplaces, and classrooms, and the associations created from these social interactions. It examines the centrality of gender and social identity in the formation of non-western people in the British Empire.

Review Quotes

'This is a most impressive book. It is innovative, informative and challenging, written with considerable verve and clarity, and carries forward in significant ways debates on colonialism within Imperial and Commonwealth history. The book not only makes an original contribution to the under-researched area of Zambian history, but also on a wider level enlarges understanding of delineations of race and class in the British Empire in the decades from the 1880s to the 1950s.' - Patricia Grimshaw, professorial fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, the University of Melbourne, Australia

'The Long Shadow of the British Empire is a powerful and moving exploration of Zambian Coloured history and identity. Combining personal family history with deft scholarly analysis of the historical development of a distinct and proud national community, Milner-Thornton pieces together the shards of cultural experience that arose out of the fractured and painful relations of colonialism, to produce a work of rare originality, insight, and emotive power. This book makes an exciting and important contribution to postcolonial scholarship on race and identity.' - Victoria Haskins, associate professor, University of Newcastle, Australia, and author of One Bright Spot

'In this deeply researched and richly imagined account, Milner-Thornton takes us inside racially complicated families and communities, and also into the minds of their colonizers, who were sometimes family members. She explores evolving ideas about race and the shifting sands of race policy in the British Empire. It is all carried off in sparkling prose and with occasional drama. The Long Shadow of the British Empire belongs alongside the works of Ann Laura Stoler, Catherine Hall, and Gregory Smithers on the short shelf of truly important books on the intersection of race, gender, and colonialism.' - Paul Spickard, professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Race and Nation: Ethnic Systems in the Modern World

'This evocative and nuanced study of race, class, and the creation of Coloured identity in colonial Zambia is a major contribution to a neglected area of scholarly enquiry. Its clarity of style, sophisticated analysis, thorough research, and poignant story line make for compelling reading. An all-round triumph!' - Mohamed Adhikari, History department, University of Cape Town, South Africa

'In this historical autoethnography, Milner-Thornton has expertly combined two approaches: an empathetic analysis of the emotions involved in being a member of the Zambian Eurafrican community; and a cool description of the social history of this group. Combined, this has led to a most fascinating and important study.' - Robert Ross, Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Institute for History, Talen en culturen van Afrika

About the Author

JULIETTE MILNER-THORNTONholds an Adjunct Research Fellowship at Griffith University. She also holds a doctorate from Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.