Decolonisation of English History. The Legacy of Colonialism in British Textbooks after 1960 (eBook)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject History of Europe - Colonialism, grade: 3,0, University of Wuppertal, language: English, abstract: The imperial legacy of the Colonial Age is ever-present in our modern society. Although the belief in Western superiority was implemented in the era of European colonialism, institutional racism, cultural prejudices, and xenophobia are contemporary consequences of Europe's past as Colonial Superpower. Europe’s latest standing towards refugees has constructed the resurgence of an anti-immigrant and nationalist sentiment within various European countries; imperialistic convictions, therefore, still operate within humankind.

In particular, the national belief in Britain’s exceptionalism, as the mightiest European colonial power within the 19th century, controverts with its modern multicultural society. Which policymakers have influenced the representation of what it means to be ‘British’ after the powerful Empire had ended? To what extent did the British society undergo a change, concerning a tolerant and accepting attitude towards immigrants from former British colonies? Most importantly, how accurate has knowledge about the British involvement during the Colonial Age been represented within different time periods?