Empireworld - In conversation with Sathnam Sanghera

Join award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera in discussion about the legacies of the British empire.

The British empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries, to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left-hand side of the road, to the origins of international law. Yet Britain's idea of its imperial history and the world's experience of it are two very different things.

In his latest book, Sathnam Sanghera explores the international legacies of empire from the creation of tea plantations across the globe, to environmental destruction, conservation, and the imperial connotations of Royal tours. His journey takes him from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond. In doing so, he demonstrates just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world.

Sathnam Sanghera will be in conversation with The National Archives’ collection specialist, Elizabeth Haines.

This in conversation event will last approximately 45 minutes.

Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi immigrant parents in Wolverhampton in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but went on to graduate from Christ's College, Cambridge with a first class degree in English Language and Literature. Empireland was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, was named a Book of the Year at the National Book Awards of 2022, and inspired both the Channel 4 series Empire State of Mind and Sanghera's children's book about the British empire, Stolen History.

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