About this item
Highlights
- Kwasi Kwarteng is the child of parents whose lives were shaped as subjects of the British Empire, first in their native Ghana, then as British immigrants.
- About the Author: Kwasi Kwarteng was born in London in 1975.
- 488 Pages
- History, Europe
Description
About the Book
Portion of edition statement from Introd.Book Synopsis
Kwasi Kwarteng is the child of parents whose lives were shaped as subjects of the British Empire, first in their native Ghana, then as British immigrants. He brings a unique perspective and impeccable academic credentials to a narrative history of the British Empire, one that avoids sweeping judgmental condemnation and instead sees the Empire for what it was: a series of local fiefdoms administered in varying degrees of competence or brutality by a cast of characters as outsized and eccentric as anything conjured by Gilbert and Sullivan. The truth, as Kwarteng reveals, is that there was no such thing as a model for imperial administration; instead, appointees were schooled in quirky, independent-minded individuality. As a result the Empire was the product not of a grand idea but of often chaotic individual improvisation. The idiosyncrasies of viceroys and soldier-diplomats who ran the colonial enterprise continues to impact the world, from Kashmir to Sudan, Baghdad to Hong Kong.Review Quotes
"Indian Express," September 11, 2011
"[Kwarteng's] book is still a reminder that a superpower's legacy of intervention will be determined by outcomes that obtain after its eventual retreat.""Publishers Weekly"October 3, 2011"[An] expertly researched and written book" "Kirkus," November 2011
"[A] fascinating debut...Kwarteng effectively illustrates the effects of empire in a forceful and thorough book that holds important lessons for today's leaders--in particular that the cost of invading and occupying a country always exceeds expectations." "Business Day" (Nigeria)"[Ghosts of Empire is] one of several books that currently reappraising what might seem a tired old subject, but in the present strange mood now prevalent, it is worth more examination ... Kwarteng's book is a useful reminder that Britain's empire left many uncomfortable legacies on which the author focuses attention."
John Spurling, "The New Republic
""This is an absorbing, richly researched book, smoothly written with a light touch, and suggests, if its gifted Ghanaian/British author is anything to go by, that the Empire at least got something right."
Andrew Roberts, "Wall Street Journal
""Mr. Kwarteng is an engaging writer, and his pen portraits of British imperialists are subtle and scholarly."
Thomas Wise, "Daily Beast"
"While trained as a historian at Cambridge, Kwarteng is no ivory-tower dweller, but rather a man who believes in the power of history to inform, inspire, and challenge the present.. Using case studies from six different regions of the British Empire--Iraq, Kashmir, Burma, Sudan, Nigeria, and Hong Kong--he illustrates the ad hoc, ill-informed, incoherent, and frequently contradictory nature of British imperial rule."
"DBC Reads"
"There is a lot to learn from Kwasi Kwarteng's "Ghosts of Empire." The text itself serves as a wonderful example of a historical work that can be palatable for the masses without sacrificing academic rigor or scholarship--exhausti
"Indian Express", September 11, 2011
"[Kwarteng's] book is still a reminder that a superpower's legacy of intervention will be determined by outcomes that obtain after its eventual retreat.""Publishers Weekly"October 3, 2011"[An] expertly researched and written book" "Kirkus", November 2011
"[A] fascinating debut...Kwarteng effectively illustrates the effects of empire in a forceful and thorough book that holds important lessons for today's leaders--in particular that the cost of invading and occupying a country always exceeds expectations." "Business Day" (Nigeria)"[Ghosts of Empire is] one of several books that currently reappraising what might seem a tired old subject, but in the present strange mood now prevalent, it is worth more examination ... Kwarteng's book is a useful reminder that Britain's empire left many uncomfortable legacies on which the author focuses attention."
John Spurling, "The ""New Republic
""This is an absorbing, richly researched book, smoothly written with a light touch, and suggests, if its gifted Ghanaian/British author is anything to go by, that the Empire at least got something right."
Andrew Roberts, "Wall Street Journal
""Mr. Kwarteng is an engaging writer, and his pen portraits of British imperialists are subtle and scholarly."
About the Author
Kwasi Kwarteng was born in London in 1975. He earned a PhD in History from Cambridge University in 2000. Kwasi was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Spelthorne in 2010 and sat on the House of Commons Transport Select Committee from 2010 to 2013; he currently sits on the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee. His first book, Ghosts of Empire, was published to critical acclaim by Bloomsbury in the UK and PublicAffairs in US in August, 2011. His second book, War and Gold, was published in May, 2014.