Among some historians, there is a push to decolonise history from the times of empire. This is particularly the case in the United Kingdom with the blockbuster success of 'Empireland' by Sathnam Sanghera and the ongoing writings by William Dalrymple. In Australia, we have the recent protests against January 26th - Australia Day, or 'invasion day.'
But, as Madeleine argues, this push to decolonise history is not wise. We shouldn't trade one nationalism for another, nor should we seek to purify the past. In this short video, Madeleine makes her case against decolonising history, while offering encouragement for historians currently studying empire and the successive states, particularly in Eurasia.
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