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Uncommon Wealth

Britain and the Aftermath of Empire

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 'BRILLIANTLY ARRANGED AND RICH WITH FRESH INSIGHTS, UNCOMMON WEALTH REMINDS US HOW THE FORGOTTEN STORIES OF EMPIRE AND DECOLONISATION CONTINUE TO IMPACT OUR DAILY LIVES IN BRITAIN - AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD - UP TO TODAY' AKALA

Britain didn't just put the empire back the way it had found it.

In Uncommon Wealth, Kojo Koram traces the tale of how after the end of the British empire an interconnected group of well-heeled British intellectuals, politicians, accountants and lawyers offshored their capital, seized assets and saddled debt in former 'dependencies'. This enabled horrific inequality across the globe as ruthless capitalists profited and ordinary people across Britain's former territories in colonial Africa, Asia and the Caribbean were trapped in poverty. However, the reinforcement of capitalist power across the world also ricocheted back home. Now it has left many Britons wondering where their own sovereignty and prosperity has gone...

Decolonisation was not just a trendy buzzword. It was one of the great global changes of the past hundred years, yet Britain - the protagonist in the whole, messy drama - has forgotten it was ever even there. A blistering uncovering of the scandal of Britain's disastrous treatment of independent countries after empire, Uncommon Wealth shows the decisions of decades past are contributing to the forces that are breaking Britain today.

(P) Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2022 Kojo Koram Europe Great Britain Politics & Government Thought-Provoking Money Socialism Capitalism Caribbean

Critic reviews

Brilliantly arranged and rich with fresh insights, Uncommon Wealth reminds us how the forgotten stories of empire and decolonisation continue to impact our daily lives in Britain - and throughout the world - up to today. (Akala)
A radical, beautifully written understanding of our history - ingeniously placing Britain's recent tumult into context (Owen Jones)
You can't understand how Britain works today without reading it (Frankie Boyle)
Unflinching and lucidly written, Uncommon Wealth challenges everything you thought you knew about the British Empire and its legacy. This book should be part of the national curriculum (Ellie Mae O'Hagan)
A challenge to a nation living in the shadow of empire: reckon with your imperial past, or it will come back to bite you . . . Stirring, rigorous and readable (Grace Blakeley)
Compelling and masterful . . . Perfectly timed for a moment when more are recognizing that the past is not past, the legacies of empire are profound, and another world is possible (Samuel Moyn, Yale University)
Brilliant, illuminating, often surprising and shocking, Kojo Koram's careful and sensitive telling of the stories that so many of us do not know is a masterpiece (Danny Dorling, University of Oxford)
An ambitious blend of history, memoir and current affairs - Koram's superb and combative account shows how Britain's near-past can explain its present predicament. A fascinating account of the British Empire written with an exciting blend of passion and scholarship (David Dabydeen)
Uncommon Wealth brilliantly exposes the imperial origins of much of Britain's contemporary crisis. Koram shows how the empire ordered overseas a structure of law, property, economic institutions and citizenship, which came home (Professor Richard Drayton, KCL)
By carefully dissecting the economic legacy of the British Empire, Koram has exposed some troubling home truths about the causes and effects of the very unequal world in which we live. A fascinating history, Koram's unique perspective sheds new light on an old problem (Robert Verkaik)
A superb and vivid account of the ideas, laws and economic instruments that bind contemporary Britain to its long colonial history (Will Davies, Professor of Political Economy, Goldsmiths)
Fantastic. Koram clearly and informatively details the links between the economic dependency imposed on Britain's former colonies after decolonisation and the crisis that 'Global Britain' now finds itself facing (Quinn Slobodian, author of Globalists)
A tour de force by one of the most brilliant young thinkers writing in Britain today . . . Urgent and relevant (Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, author of What If Latin America Ruled the World?)
A bold and brazen account of the economic afterlives of the British Empire (Imaobong Umoren, LSE)
All stars
Most relevant
A very engaging book which very helpfully unfolded a comprehensive account of the legacies of the British empire that we all need to hear. I liked the insight into the authors own perspectives from his cultural heritage in Ghana. A brilliant account

Excellent

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A good look at the history of the British empire and it's legacy. A subject few British people know about. Well narrated by the writer.

Excellent book everyone should listen to it.

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One of the most helpful books, written in an accessible way, for understanding Britain's changing relationship with, and understanding of, the history of the afterpath of Empire - connecting it to today's struggles in the UK, and ultimately calling for furthur recognition of this relationship and change, for the betterment of all workers, not just those in post-colonial countries. For me, one of the best books I've listened to this year.

Important, insightful, connection the dots

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bought the book after listening to Kojo’s thoughtful interview on the excellent podcast ‘The Dig’ with Daniel Denvir, am glad I did.

Great reading of a great book

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Incisive, enlightening and I hope will add one of many more much needed footnotes about British history.

Brilliant

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