In this path-breaking book Linda Colley reappraises the rise
of the biggest empire in global history. Excavating the lives of
some of the multitudes of Britons held captive in the lands their
own rulers sought to conquer, Colley also offers an intimate
understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Mediterranean,
North America, India, and Afghanistan.
Here are harrowing, sometimes poignant stories by soldiers and
sailors and their womenfolk, by traders and con men and by white as
well as black slaves. By exploring these forgotten captives – and
their captors – Colley reveals how Britain’s emerging empire was
often tentative and subject to profound insecurities and
limitations. She evokes how British empire was experienced by the
mass of poor whites who created it. She shows how imperial racism
coexisted with cross-cultural collaborations, and how the gulf
between Protestantism and Islam, which some have viewed as central
to this empire, was often smaller than expected. Brilliantly
written and richly illustrated, Captives is an invitation to think
again about a piece of history too often viewed in the same old
way. It is also a powerful contribution to current debates about
the meanings, persistence, and drawbacks of empire.