Episode 6: Conquest in Africa

A Very Brief Introduction to the British Empire

We begin our second module of the lecture series with a detailed overview of British conquest in Asia.

Historian Harriet Aldrich takes you through the history of British interaction with the African continent from the 1600s to the First World War. She highlights the importance of geography and maps in how Europeans historically approached the global south, and questions the generalised narrative often used in discussions about the history of a whole continent. The impact of European competition, imperial concerns, and specific individuals like Cecil Rhodes are covered.

The content for this episode is based on a public lecture given in a local cafe in the city of Oxford, in March 2020. The information is aimed at a non-specialist audience who is interested in learning more about the legacies of the British Empire.

This podcast is run by Uncomfortable Oxford and features bi-weekly releases of our public lecture series on the history of the British Empire. Uncomfortable Oxford is run by Doctoral students at the University of Oxford and aims to raise awareness and discourse about 'uncomfortable' issues in the modern world.