colonial history – The Transnational

Lord Macartney, China, and the convenient lies of history

By Severine Renard on February 25, 2021 China, Conflict - violence and war, Dialogue & negotiations, History, Politics

James Carter February 25, 2020 In popular understanding, the Qianlong Emperor’s rejection of Lord Macartney and King George III was an act of hubris, a failure to recognize the military might of Britain and the West, the last prideful act of a waning empire before a “century of humiliation.” But what if our understanding is […]

Ethics and empire: an open letter from Oxford scholars

By JO on December 19, 2017 Civilisation and philosophy, Ethics and values, History

• A group of Oxford academics has written the below letter following the debate surrounding an article in The Times entitled “Don’t feel guilty about our colonial history” by Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of moral and pastoral theology at the University of Oxford. Via theconversation.com We are scholars who work on histories of empire […]