Edna Bonhomme is the author of Caring for our wounds: an expatriate memoirOut now from Haymarket Books. Below, she recommends three must-read books about colonialism. (Photo credit: Jasmine Valcarcel)
All empires suffer from the possibility of their collapse. For the marginalized people born and raised in the midst of empires, some plot and hope for their demise. As someone who is part of the many diasporas forced to leave their lands, I often turn to theorists and scholars who not only grapple with the shackles of colonialism but also understand how it shaped the psyche, family or rebellion. There are so many books to choose from, texts that nourish my soul and inspire me to work toward building a better world. The texts I have selected are not only case studies of the psychological costs of colonialism, but also evidence that colonized people are not passive victims. Hopefully, they will provide some hope in these times.
wretched of the earth by Frantz Fanon
Fanon’s text is both a revolutionary pamphlet and a psychiatrist’s diagnosis of French colonialism in Algeria, and it also makes a convincing case that colonialism can psychologically impair the minds of the colonized. wretched of the earth It has inspired anti-colonial movements, primarily for its in-depth analysis of imperial violence and the ways in which class arose in the colonial context. It is a controversial text because of imperialism’s efforts to discredit and denigrate the colonizers. Nevertheless, Fanon shows that freedom is possible when people protest through collective struggle and socialism.
royal intimacies By Hazel V. Carby
Professor Carby’s book is both a memoir and a historical text, taking an honest look at what it means to have identities that have direct ties to the British Empire and one of its colonies. royal intimacies Considers how two places shape the individual and how people become entangled, even as those relationships are tinged with race and class. Moving between the plantations of Jamaica, the rural communities of Devon and the working-class estates of South London, Carby shows the intersection of capital, language and sentiment of the British Empire. The book is also a confession, his attempt to remember, reflect and confront what was unbearable – that he is a product of empire.
Rebel empire: anti-colonial resistance and British dissent By Priyamvada Gopal
In this vivid, committed, and empathetic historical analysis, Gopal explains how anti-colonial criticism was born out of critics’ direct and indirect testimony to rebellions in colonies from the Caribbean to India. Gopal shows how the intellectuals and elites of the British colonies used the language of their independence to advocate for their self-determination. This is an essential read for those interested in the agency of the colonized and how some people tried to use the tools of the master against empire.
true story
Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read upcoming titles.
For more like this, sign up for the Book Riot newsletter!
This content contains affiliate links. When you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
