Empire State of Mind

Despite the recent surge of interest in British colonial history, with statues being torn down, schools and streets being renamed, and arguments over looted museum artifacts, writer and columnist Sathnam Sanghera believes that the effect of British Empire upon this country is far bigger than these piecemeal actions. In this two-part series, Sanghera travels to towns and cities across the UK to reveal how empire explains much of modern Britain – from our politics and culture to our racism and multi-culturalism.

But Sanghera’s journey across the series isn’t just intellectual – it’s deeply personal. His starting point is his own family’s experiences, their memories of racist signs upon arrival in Wolverhampton in 1967 and of the anti-immigrant local MP Enoch Powell. Despite his professional success, Sanghera has never felt entirely at home in his home country. Can Britain face its imperial past and become more comfortable with its identity? Can Sathnam reconcile his dual heritage?