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We Need to Talk About the British Empire
- By: Afua Hirsch
- Podcast
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Feb 13 202037 minsAdd to basket failed.
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Feb 13 202040 minsAdd to basket failed.
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What listeners say about We Need to Talk About the British Empire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 16-02-20
Important and well balanced
As someone who has no direct links to the empire but is affected by Brexit, the rise of nationalism and curious about areas of conflict and turbulence in the world today, I found this a fascinating listen. We need more of this; women and men from different backgrounds who are able to respectfully and share knowledge and perspective.
145 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Angus
- 18-02-20
Very very interesting perspective
Beautifully compiled and so many important and very differing views. One is compelled to listen to each and every one of the six stories to get a balance.
It would be interesting to compare it to other collapsed empires.... Certainly Britain's legacy of trying their best to introduce law and order as fairly as possible (agreeably to their advantage initially) should be somewhat respected and not all ex colonials should be seen as greedy plundering ex slave traders.
I'm a third generation ex African colonial and I am proud of what my grand parents and parents achieved and stood for... Yes they had adventures and yes they had loyal proud staff but life was certainly no bed of roses and they did a thousand times more good for Africa than bad. Like Ms Rudd we are welcomed with open arms when we visit our old home bases to meet our old staff and their children. When are we coming back? Is the question most often asked.
The sad thing is that a relatively small proportion of Brits still treat a third generation Brit Jamaican in the same way he treats a proud Brit descendent who comes home!
Where is the pride gone?
Do we need another world war to pull the Commonwealth together? Hopefully not....and I tell my youngsters and their partners.....Oh but look ...you live in perhaps the world's most inter racial and amazing multi cultural country in the world..... But still you blame your forefathers and want everything on a silver plate handed out by your collapsing cash strapped social services departments......
Perhaps when we are all speaking Chinese we will look back and say.... Maybe the old generation Brits weren't so bad after all!?
Anyway..... I remain hopeful for Britain and the future and really hope this forum continues and we hear some more of the other varying stories of our old Empire. ...positive and negative!
106 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-02-20
essential listening
absolutely compelling listening, I will recommend this podcast to everyone I know. Thank you for telling these stories. As a product of empire myself, they have been healing to hear.
63 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Georgia Di Pietro
- 15-02-20
high quality documentary
A good variety of people interviewed and fascinating reflections on the impact, in so many ways, of the British empire.
44 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M. Bellamy
- 20-02-20
A brilliant series
I found this a fascinating series that covered the way that the British Empire impacted on the lives of so many people. It contained a variety of personal stories that reflected the diversity of the Empire. It did not hold back from showing the overt racism, cruelty and stratification of the colonies. It covered the slave trade as well as the tragedy of the chaotic and disastrous partition of India in 1947.
It taught me a lot of history that was never covered in school.
Thoroughly recommended.
43 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- C
- 01-05-20
1-sided summary from toxic journalist Afua Hirsch
I was disappointed by this book from the very beginning.
The Empire is rightly a subject of scrutiny, and I was hoping for a balanced study on what is an important topic -- the legacy of the British Empire and the way it is regarded in modern Britain. I should have known better given the author is Afua Hirsch.
Hirsch has built a career on race-baiting, polarisation and toxicity that notably included a call to topple Nelson's Column.
As any academic or journalist knows, to offer a balanced account you need to gather the data and come to your own conclusion. Hirsch starts with a conclusion and only presents evidence to back up her point.
In this case, Hirsch's starting point is simple: the British Empire was utterly, totally, unredeemably evil. From the outset, she seeks to find only evidence that supports this hypothesis. She shies away from any topic that might counteract this premise (e.g. the Empire's role in stopping the worldwide slave trade, abolition of Sati in India, the spread of democracy and ultimately its destruction in order to defeat of a genuinely evil empire -- the Third Reich). This makes her account more of a rant than a study.
We DO need to talk about the British Empire, but Afua Hirsch isn't interested in talking about it. She is interested in making HER point, and hers alone.
38 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Arnold Seivwright
- 09-03-20
no never know
I never thought about the effects of colonialism, I download this series because the way my brother talks about the british empire annoys me, even angers me, but I never understood why, although ignorant myself I knew there was something large and multifaceted about the British empire and its residual effects on current society's around the world, I now feel like I have a foot hold on this long climb up, well worth a listen, worth talking about and sharing.
37 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- BR
- 13-03-20
Totally Brilliant
A most interesting and informative profile of the British Empire told by the people who were colonised. An indictment definitely but told with dignity and grace and humour. I don't think you can get better audible broadcasting than this. Afua Hirsch introduces inspiring people and let's the narratives unfold and it is just riveting. So much that is unknown. I promise, you will listen to some of the episodes twice . . . or more!
35 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Rob T
- 09-03-20
Important
Fascinating and important series. Lots of perspectives and personal stories, as well as historical facts that have been missed in education.
31 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- leanne hale
- 18-06-20
very poor all one sided
very poor all from one side needs to look at the whole story why the British people ows the whole wold anythink is beyond me .we were the nation to say enuff is enuff to Germany and then other country joined in.yes we did terrible thinks but so did most nations it's called history for a reason. it's in the past we have changed because of it some nations have not if you wanted to write history look at the whole story
29 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- LFC
- 09-03-21
Brilliant, but you missed one
The series begins with the promise of exploring three “partitions,” but rather than discuss Israel/Palestine, it talks of Hong Kong. Hmm...
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nasir Ali
- 14-10-20
Empire and its after effects
An amazing podcast, being part of the empire for 200 years India Pakistan and Bangladesh you can still see the difference of attitude and the legacy of Raj,The looting is still on but this time by the cronies of Raj
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-03-21
Should be required in school
This podcast was absolutely riveting and was an incredibly powerful exploration of identity. My only critique is that there aren’t enough episodes to cover the scope of the British colonial legacy. I would love to hear many more episodes!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 29-12-20
A MUST-LISTEN!
Brilliant narration snd content. A very personal look at a major turning point in global history.
Somehow this series has managed to produce a very human, multifaceted portrayal of British colonialism without either demonising, lauding or apologising for colonialism.
All History teachers should listen to this podcast series.
