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A review by michaelsbirthday
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.75
A behemoth of a book, but well, well, well worth the read for anyone who wants to educate themselves on British history and the deserved place of black people within it, Britain's role in the slave trade, the abolition of slavery and the advent of modern racism.
A resounding strength of the book is the continuity that David Olusoga weaves through the vast periods of history that are covered. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on attitudes in Britain and Europe towards African people during the Middle Ages, and how these views were shaped by the unreachable quality of the continent in these times. Olusoga expertly demonstrates how medieval fantasies and presumptions endured and slowly morphed into views of racial superiority in the Elizabethan and Georgian eras, through which 'scientific' theories on race and eventually modern racism could emerge.
The bulk of this mammoth text is taken up discussing the slave trade in Georgian and Victorian Britain and the abolitionist movement. Olusoga makes a compelling case for why Black British history should be viewed as a global history, exploring beyond Britain and diving into British connections to the lives and experience of black people in North America, the Caribbean and Africa (particularly Freetown, Sierra Leone).
However, I do feel that this global narrative is partly where the book falls short of all it could offer, as we lose something of the stories of black individuals and communities in this internationalised, far-reaching view. Perhaps this would not be so much of a problem if, in Olusoga's lengthy discussion on the abolitionist movement, he focused more on black actors than white; Granville Sharpe's role was of course an important one, but he rather takes the role of the 'hero' of abolitionism in Olusoga's narrative. The surviving historical record is, of course, one that has literally, deliberately and systemically been whitewashed, but perhaps a book entitled 'Black and British' ought to have more closely examined the primary record that we do have from and about black people (Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, as a readily available example).
I also feel that the book was slightly lacking at each of its historical (and physical) ends. While Olusoga painstakingly slogs through Georgian and Victorian Britain, comparatively little time is spent on black and Roman Britain, and he practically races through the decades of the 20th Century. He shares his reticence to write about modern history explicitly, particularly periods which he himself has lived through, but I still think the book could have benefitted from a deeper examination of more contemporary black British history and experience.
Overall, the book is phenomenally well-researched, engagingly written and illuminating - and thoroughly recommended.
A resounding strength of the book is the continuity that David Olusoga weaves through the vast periods of history that are covered. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on attitudes in Britain and Europe towards African people during the Middle Ages, and how these views were shaped by the unreachable quality of the continent in these times. Olusoga expertly demonstrates how medieval fantasies and presumptions endured and slowly morphed into views of racial superiority in the Elizabethan and Georgian eras, through which 'scientific' theories on race and eventually modern racism could emerge.
The bulk of this mammoth text is taken up discussing the slave trade in Georgian and Victorian Britain and the abolitionist movement. Olusoga makes a compelling case for why Black British history should be viewed as a global history, exploring beyond Britain and diving into British connections to the lives and experience of black people in North America, the Caribbean and Africa (particularly Freetown, Sierra Leone).
However, I do feel that this global narrative is partly where the book falls short of all it could offer, as we lose something of the stories of black individuals and communities in this internationalised, far-reaching view. Perhaps this would not be so much of a problem if, in Olusoga's lengthy discussion on the abolitionist movement, he focused more on black actors than white; Granville Sharpe's role was of course an important one, but he rather takes the role of the 'hero' of abolitionism in Olusoga's narrative. The surviving historical record is, of course, one that has literally, deliberately and systemically been whitewashed, but perhaps a book entitled 'Black and British' ought to have more closely examined the primary record that we do have from and about black people (Olaudah Equiano's autobiography, as a readily available example).
I also feel that the book was slightly lacking at each of its historical (and physical) ends. While Olusoga painstakingly slogs through Georgian and Victorian Britain, comparatively little time is spent on black and Roman Britain, and he practically races through the decades of the 20th Century. He shares his reticence to write about modern history explicitly, particularly periods which he himself has lived through, but I still think the book could have benefitted from a deeper examination of more contemporary black British history and experience.
Overall, the book is phenomenally well-researched, engagingly written and illuminating - and thoroughly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Racial slurs