Imperialism Revisited

Abstract

An invitation to revisit arguments about the nature of imperialism, which began for me 40 years ago, is an opportunity for both self-criticism and self-justification. One can answer one’s critics and accept or reject their criticisms. One can take into account new knowledge and new theories and the modifications in one’s own ideas that have resulted. I have tried in this essay to do all these things, and in the end to decide how far the core ideas, which I developed, have stood up to the test of time. So, in this essay, I start from my earliest historical studies of the British Empire and end with my most recent association with practical work among those who have suffered most from the unequal relations established by imperialism.