Arts & Books Magazine Britain Colonialism Empire History immigration Indian politics

The Raj delusion

Forget the romantic nostalgia—British rule in India was chaotic, exploitative and cruel

By Yasmin Khan

December 14, 2016

January 2017

The Raj's glorified self-image: depiction of the English grandee of the East India Company riding in procession, c 1825 ©Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

India Conquered: Britain’s Raj and the Chaos of Empire, by Jon Wilson (Simon & Schuster, £25)

The ties between Britain and India run deep. It’s a relationship that stretches back at least 400 years and if you look at their family…

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Yasmin Khan

Yasmin Khan is the author of The Great Partition: the Making of India and Pakistan (Yale, 2007)