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The Memory of Colonialism in Britain and France

The Sins of Silence

  • Book
  • © 2021

Overview

Authors:
  1. Itay Lotem

    1. School of Humanities, University of Westminster, London, UK

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  • Compares how Britain and France address their colonial histories, exploring how memories of colonialism have been expressed and silenced
  • Examines the role of activists, politicians, journalists and professional historians in inciting public conversation about the colonial past
  • Explores the importance of colonial history to the ongoing, politicised public debates over national identity in both Britain and France

Part of the book series: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies (CIPCSS)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
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  2. Introduction

    • Itay Lotem
    Pages 1-22

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 393-428
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Keywords

About this book

This book explores national attitudes to remembering colonialism in Britain and France. By comparing these two former colonial powers, the author tells two distinct stories about coming to terms with the legacies of colonialism, the role of silence and the breaking thereof. Examining memory through the stories of people who incited public conversation on colonialism: activists; politicians; journalists; and professional historians, this book argues that these actors mobilised the colonial past to make sense of national identity, race and belonging in the present. In focusing on memory as an ongoing, politicised public debate, the book examines the afterlife of colonial history as an element of political and social discourse that depends on actors’ goals and priorities. A thought-provoking and powerful read that explores the divisive legacies of colonialism through oral history, this book will appeal to those researching imperialism, collective memory and cultural identity. 

Reviews

“Itay Lotem’s rich and conceptually informed study … in which colonialism and slavery have been remembered publicly in France and Great Britain is an important contribution to a better understanding of the general patterns and particularities of the surge in colonial memories across Europe. … By the sheer wealth of information and insights he provides, Lotem proves himself to be an invaluable guide … that will continue to demand the attention of societies and states in Europe and beyond.” (Jan C. Jansen, German Historical Institute London Bulletin, Vol. 45 (2), November, 2023)

“The book is engagingly written, and is notable in its ambition, scope, and breadth of research undertaken.  … The Memory of Colonialism makes several important and timely interventions in the study of historical remembrance and postcolonial identity. … His book will surely become a cornerstone of the growing scholarship on colonial memory, and deserves to be widely read.” (M. Kathryn Edwards, Social History, April 7, 2022)

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Humanities, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Itay Lotem

About the author

Itay Lotem is a Lecturer in French Studies at the University of Westminster, UK. He has published in academic journals like Modern and Contemporary France, French Politics, Culture and Society and French History in addition to appearances in the media.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Memory of Colonialism in Britain and France

  • Book Subtitle: The Sins of Silence

  • Authors: Itay Lotem

  • Series Title: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63719-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2021

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-63718-7Published: 13 March 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-63721-7Published: 14 March 2022

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-63719-4Published: 12 March 2021

  • Series ISSN: 2635-1633

  • Series E-ISSN: 2635-1641

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 428

  • Topics: Imperialism and Colonialism, Memory Studies, History of France, History of Britain and Ireland

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