6 April 2023.

By Peter Shawn Taylor, C2C Journal.

‘Late in life, Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe was asked if his view of colonialism had changed in the half-century since he wrote Things Fall Apart, his famous first novel critical of British rule. “The legacy of colonialism is not a simple one,” he replied, “but one of great complexity with contradictions – good things as well as bad.” Today our understanding of that complexity is rapidly being obliterated as governments, universities and museums race to “decolonize” their institutions and make colonialism synonymous with racism, violence and exploitation. In his controversial new book Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, British ethicist Nigel Biggar seeks to revive the notion that the British Empire contained “good things as well as bad.” The Scottish-born Biggar recently connected with Peter Shawn Taylor to discuss the morality of empire, Canada’s own colonial legacy and how it feels to be named an “honorary” Courageous Canadian.’

About C2C Journal: ‘Founded in 2007 as a print and online publication, C2C Journal is now primarily an online magazine publishing original commentaries, stories, reviews and investigative reports. Aimed at a national Canadian audience of readers interested in fresh ideas and quality writing about current political, cultural and economic issues,C2C specializes in longer form journalism that provides more substance than most mainstream news products and is more engaging than most academic journals.’