The London Library with Samira Ahmed

Sathnam Sanghera’s brilliantly illuminating new book, Empireland looks at how profoundly our imperial past has shaped modern Britain: from how we live to how we think, from the foundation of the NHS to the nature of our racism, from our distrust of intellectuals in public life to the exceptionalism that imbued the campaign for Brexit and the government’s early response to the Covid crisis. Yet empire is a subject weirdly hidden from view. In conversation with Samira Ahmed, he discusses this bewildering contradiction and why, at a time of great division, when we are arguing about what it means to be British, it is so important to look honestly at our past, to understand who we are and what unites us. Empireland can be ordered from West Hampstead’s lovely indie bookshop, West End Lane Books. N.B. This is an online event. You will be sent a viewing link and password with your booking confirmation. The event will be available to watch with the same link and password anytime afterwards.