The best 24 Colonialism & Imperialism books

1
Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe
A Classic on the Reality of Change and Colonialism in Nigeria

What's Things Fall Apart about?

Things Fall Apart (1958) was the first in the African Writers Series of 350 books published between 1962 and 2003 which provided an international audience for many African writers. It tells the story of a respected leader of an Igbo community and the problems faced by the community as white men arrive and bring with them their laws and religion.

Who should read Things Fall Apart?

  • Lovers of great story-telling
  • Anthropology students interested in understanding the cultural and religious practices of the Igbo people of Nigeria
  • History buffs interested in African history and the impact of colonialism

2
Mayflower

Mayflower

Nathaniel Philbrick
A Story of Courage, Community, and War
4.5 (19 ratings)

What's Mayflower about?

Mayflower (2006) tells the epic story of the 1620 voyage to establish a colony of religious separatists on North American shores, and the astonishing aftermath of their fateful trip. From life-or-death struggle to peaceful coexistence with native peoples to devastating war just a half century later, it tells the unvarnished truth of the people and politics that went on to shape a nation.

Who should read Mayflower?

  • History buffs looking for new insights into a little-known chapter of America’s past
  • Epic saga lovers who crave complex stories of survival, politics, and conflict
  • Anyone curious about the real facts behind all the feel-good myths, and how they went on to shape the future of a nation

3
Orientalism

Orientalism

Edward W. Said
Western Conceptions of the Orient
4.0 (140 ratings)

What's Orientalism about?

Orientalism (1978) shines a light on the often unquestioned assumptions about Eastern civilizations that are persistently prevalent in the West. By unearthing and analyzing the West’s biases, Edward Said aims to undermine Orientalism’s influence on how the West perceives and interacts with the East.

Who should read Orientalism?

  • Anyone fascinated by non-Western civilizations
  • Anyone curious about the origins of modern international politics
  • Anyone interested in the history of colonialism and its remaining traces today

4
Slouching Towards Utopia

Slouching Towards Utopia

J. Bradford DeLong
An Economic History of the Twentieth Century
3.9 (31 ratings)

What's Slouching Towards Utopia about?

Slouching Towards Utopia (2022) examines the “long century” between 1870 and 2010, during which technological progress, globalization, and the advent of social democracy opened a new horizon of human progress. Barring the horror years of World Wars I and II, humanity seemed to be on a slow, uneven crawl toward utopia. But in 2010, the tables turned. Economic progress in the Global North ground to a halt. 

Who should read Slouching Towards Utopia?

  • History buffs
  • John Maynard Keynes fans
  • Anyone wondering how the world became so unequal

5
Empire

Empire

Niall Ferguson
How Britain Made the Modern World
4.6 (243 ratings)

What's Empire about?

Empire (2003) offers a compelling overview of the highs and lows of the British Empire, from its late-to-the-game beginnings in the seventeenth century to its ultimate collapse in the twentieth century. Through the many disgraces and unparalleled achievements, you’ll learn how Great Britain came to control close to a quarter of the world, and how we’re still coming to terms with this legacy.

Who should read Empire?

  • History buffs
  • Anyone interested in the legacy of colonialism
  • People curious about the world economy

6
Palestine

Palestine

Nur Masalha
A Four Thousand Year History
4.1 (162 ratings)

What's Palestine about?

Palestine (2015) chronicles the long history of the land straddling the eastern Mediterranean between modern-day Lebanon and Egypt. By compiling an impressive set of sources both ancient and modern, Nur Masalha presents a nuanced history of the region, from its roots in ancient Philistine civilization to the advent of modern Palestinian nationalism in the nineteenth century, and Israel’s founding in 1948.

Who should read Palestine?

  • Students of history or politics
  • Supporters of both Israel and Palestine looking to inform themselves on the region
  • Palestinians who’d like to learn more about the complex historical tapestry of their land

7
A Peace to End All Peace

A Peace to End All Peace

David Fromkin
The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and Creation of the Modern Middle East
4.5 (145 ratings)

What's A Peace to End All Peace about?

The Middle East today is a hotbed of violence and war. Whether the civil war in Syria or the intractable Arab-Israeli conflict, peace in the region seems a far-off dream. Yet how did the Middle East become so unstable? In A Peace to End All Peace (1989), you’ll learn that European colonial ambitions during World War I were the catalyst that led to today’s modern crises.

Who should read A Peace to End All Peace?

  • Anyone interested in understanding the Middle East
  • Political junkies
  • Students of history or international relations

8
A History of Nigeria

A History of Nigeria

Toyin Falola
Uncover the history of Africa’s most populous country
4.5 (99 ratings)

What's A History of Nigeria about?

A History of Nigeria (2008) documents the millennia-long history of the areas that make up the modern nation of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Going on an epic journey from the region’s precolonial past right up to the country’s recent transition toward democracy, the authors document the riveting history of a nation and, of course, its people – whose future looks bright.

Who should read A History of Nigeria?

  • Students of history, international relations or politics
  • Curious individuals wanting to discover the riveting story of Africa’s most populous nation
  • Nigerians – or people of Nigerian descent – who would like to learn more about the country’s history

9
The Black Jacobins

The Black Jacobins

C.L.R. James
Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
4.6 (67 ratings)

What's The Black Jacobins about?

The Black Jacobins (1938) traces the remarkable history of the revolution in the French colony of San Domingo (modern day Haiti). It describes the events that helped the revolution become the first successful slave rebellion in history.

In particular, The Black Jacobins views the events through the prism of the revolution’s greatest figure, Toussaint L’Ouverture. It shows how he, a former slave who was inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, successfully defeated the European empires and helped to destroy the brutal practice of slavery in San Domingo.

Who should read The Black Jacobins?

  • Students of history and postcolonial studies
  • Anyone who wants to understand why people revolt
  • Anyone interested in how political ideas can change the world

10
Black and British

Black and British

David Olusoga
A Forgotten History
4.4 (134 ratings)

What's Black and British about?

Black and British (2016) traces Britain’s long and complex relationship with the people of Africa and the Caribbean. Reaching all the way back to Roman Britain, when the first Africans arrived in England, the book reveals that Black people have been at the heart of British history from the very start. A major player in the transatlantic slave trade, Britain further entwined its destiny with that of the Africans it enslaved. Ultimately, David Olusoga illustrates how the story of Black Britain is the story of all of Britain. 

Who should read Black and British?

  • History buffs interested in a deeper insight into British history
  • Cultural enthusiasts eager to learn more about the African diaspora
  • Scholars interested in uncovering marginalized histories and stories

11
King Leopold's Ghost

King Leopold's Ghost

Adam Hochschild
A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
4.6 (60 ratings)

What's King Leopold's Ghost about?

King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) is the devastating story of how one man – Leopold, King of the Belgians – developed a territory comprising one-thirteenth of the African continent into his personal fiefdom. While publicizing his supposedly benevolent intentions, Leopold enslaved vast numbers of people, forcing them to harvest ivory and rubber in appalling conditions. In all, an estimated ten million Africans died while he was the King-Sovereign of the Congo. 

Who should read King Leopold's Ghost?

  • Anyone too horrified by colonialism to look away
  • Those interested in little-known histories
  • Scholars of African history

12
Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom

Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela
The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
4.6 (75 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom about?

Read to you by Twaambo Kapilikisha

Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom (1994) is one of the most famous autobiographies of recent times. It tells the story of his life, from his humble beginnings in the South African countryside to his work as an iconic anti-apartheid freedom fighter, and ends, after chronicling his twenty-year prison sentence, with his final victory and release.

Who should read Bedtime Biography: Long Walk to Freedom?

  • People interested in Nelson Mandela
  • Anyone curious about South African history
  • Proponents of social justice

13
Hue 1968

Hue 1968

Mark Bowden
A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
4.4 (47 ratings)

What's Hue 1968 about?

The Vietnam War is remembered as one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts of the twentieth century. At the end of 1967, the US government was assuring the public the war was almost won; by February 1968, that was no longer the case. In Hue 1968 (2017) Mark Bowden examines the battle in the city of Hue which changed the way the American public viewed the war.

Who should read Hue 1968?

  • Anyone interested in modern American history
  • Students of politics or international relations
  • Soldiers and veterans

14
River of the Gods

River of the Gods

Candice Millard
Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
4.2 (19 ratings)

What's River of the Gods about?

River of the Gods (2022) follows two audacious individuals as they search for the source of the world’s longest river. At the time, this was a question of mythical proportions, and one which would consume and break the men sent to answer it.

Who should read River of the Gods?

  • History buffs
  • Travel lovers
  • Anyone who grew up with navigation apps on their smartphone

15
Southern Theory

Southern Theory

Raewyn Connell
The Global Dynamics of Knowledge in Social Science
3.9 (31 ratings)

What's Southern Theory about?

In Southern Theory (2007), sociologist Raewyn Connell investigates the emergence of the social sciences in the context of Western imperialism. She explains how sociological knowledge and theory was and is primarily produced from the perspective of the colonizers, and not the colonized.

Who should read Southern Theory?

  • Sociology and humanities students
  • Anyone interested in globalization and postcolonialism
  • People interested in international politics

16
Bedtime Biography: An Autobiography

Bedtime Biography: An Autobiography

M.K. Gandhi
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
4.4 (230 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: An Autobiography about?

Narrated by Marston York

An Autobiography
(First published in two volumes; Volume 1, 1927, and Volume 2, 1929) is the autobiography of one of the world’s most famous political icons – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The book traverses his rebellious childhood, his early activism in South Africa and his work for the Indian Independence Movement up until 1920, and gives insight into Gandhi’s personal philosophy and his lifelong quest for Truth.

Who should read Bedtime Biography: An Autobiography?

  • Anyone interested in Gandhi’s life and personal philosophy
  • Students of history and political science
  • People cultivating leadership skills

17
Founding Brothers

Founding Brothers

Joseph J. Ellis
The Revolutionary Generation
4.6 (209 ratings)

What's Founding Brothers about?

Founding Brothers (2002) complicates and enriches our understanding of the American revolution. The men who founded America lived and worked in uncertain times. The future was far from certain, and even the truths they held to be self-evident often led to strikingly different conclusions. But they clung to one another – as friends, as rivals, and even as enemies. Together, they formed a fraternity of remarkable minds that could collectively solve the problems each of them on their own could not.

Who should read Founding Brothers?

  • History buffs
  • Americanophiles 
  • Anyone who loves stories

18
The Making of Modern South Africa

The Making of Modern South Africa

Nigel Worden
The Making of Modern South Africa
4.7 (177 ratings)

What's The Making of Modern South Africa about?

The Making of Modern South Africa (2012) traces the history of South Africa from the colonial conquests of the eighteenth century to the birth of an inclusive democracy in 1994. Along the way, it unpacks how struggles over land, natural resources, and belonging shaped the country’s development. 

Who should read The Making of Modern South Africa?

  • Historians 
  • Politics buffs
  • Anyone interested in race and equality

19
Empire of Cotton

Empire of Cotton

Sven Beckert
A Global History
4.5 (39 ratings)

What's Empire of Cotton about?

Empire of Cotton (2014) chronicles the long and complex history of that fluffy plant – cotton. These blinks detail how the cotton industry connected the world from Manchester, England, to rural India, while describing the incredible impact that cotton production has had on the development of economic systems.

Who should read Empire of Cotton?

  • Historians, economists and political scientists
  • People interested in the history of capitalism and globalization
  • Anyone curious about the history of their jeans and T-shirts

20
1491

1491

Charles C. Mann
New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
4.5 (202 ratings)

What's 1491 about?

1491 (2005) is a study of the Western Hemisphere before 1492, the year in which an Italian sailor employed by the Spanish empire first set foot in the Americas. Within a century of Columbus’s “discovery” of the New World, some of humanity’s most sophisticated cultures had all but disappeared. In 1491, Charles Mann sets out to recover their ways of life and remarkable achievements.

Who should read 1491?

  • History buffs
  • Myth-busters 
  • Americaphiles

21
The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
A People’s History
4.4 (69 ratings)

What's The Congo from Leopold to Kabila about?

The Congo from Leopold to Kabila (2002) is the history of the Congolese democratic movement in the twentieth century. The history begins with Belgian colonial rule, working its way through Mobutu’s reign of terror, before looking at the Congo Wars and concluding with the prolific unrest still rampant at the turn of the century. This survey illuminates how exploitative external interests and internal weaknesses have hampered the Congolese democratic movement and proposes how it might still advance.

Who should read The Congo from Leopold to Kabila?

  • Curious minds interested in Congolese history and its democracy movement
  • Students of colonial and postcolonial history
  • Africans and non-Africans seeking African history as told from an insider perspective

22
Fifth Sun

Fifth Sun

Camilla Townsend
A New History of the Aztecs
4.4 (186 ratings)

What's Fifth Sun about?

Fifth Sun (2019) recounts the epic rise and tragic fall of the Aztec Empire. Using powerful, firsthand accounts written by the Aztecs themselves as its source material, this Blink provides a new narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica. It is the story of a people who resisted colonization and, although defeated militarily, never fully relinquished their indigenous identity.

Who should read Fifth Sun?

  • History buffs
  • North and South Americans looking to learn about the colonization of their continents
  • Anyone looking for an inspiring tale of courageous resistance against brutal oppression

23
Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World

Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World

Claire Smith and Graeme K. Ward
How Indigenous Peoples Can Tackle the Challenges of Globalization
3.6 (148 ratings)

What's Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World about?

Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World (2000) examines how globalization and new technologies are affecting indigenous peoples. It provides an analysis of the many opportunities and threats that globalization entails for indigenous societies, along with success stories of how indigenous activists are using technology to benefit their communities. The book’s chapters present the perspectives of 14 authors from around the world.

Who should read Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World?

  • Citizens of countries born out of colonialism interested in their nation’s history
  • Students of anthropology and archaeology
  • Curious indigenous and nonindigenous minds looking to understand our changing world

24
Afropean

Afropean

Johny Pitts
Notes From Black Europe
4.4 (28 ratings)

What's Afropean about?

Afropean (2020) is a travelogue tracing the hidden history and culture of Black people in Europe. Exploring cities such as Paris, Berlin, and Moscow, author Johny Pitts reveals the diversity of African-descendent communities in Europe – and shows how they are forging new identities for themselves beyond the continent’s colonialist legacy.

Who should read Afropean?

  • Young Europeans navigating questions of nationality, identity, and community
  • Backpackers, wanderers, and other travel addicts
  • People interested in Europe’s hidden Black history and culture

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