It is often said that our past helps us to understand our present. In the statutory guidance for the national history curriculum, the UK government states that ‘history helps pupils to understand the complexities of people’s lives, the process of change [and] the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups.’ Despite this, the school curriculum in the UK has come under criticism for failing to teach its children about the realities of the British Empire, including the role that Britain has had in committing violence against Indigenous Peoples.
Whilst it is understandably difficult for teachers to cover all aspects of British history in their lessons, selectively excluding the more negative aspects of our nation's past can lead to ignorance. In 2020 a YouGov poll revealed that British people are more nostalgic for our empire than any other ex-colonial power.[i] Additionally, a third of those surveyed believed that Britain’s colonies were better off for being a part of the empire. Just 17% of British people said countries were worse off for being colonised, with most people being unsure. Some have argued that these results reflect a lack of understanding regarding the brutality and violence colonised populations suffered at the hands of the British Empire.[ii] It seems that this is a part of a wider systemic issue, in which national pride is prioritised over historically accurate information about colonial violence.
To illustrate this, we can look at the deadly impact that colonisers and settlers had on the Indigenous Peoples of Australia. Though figures differ, it is estimated that the Indigenous population dropped from 1-1.5 million (prior to British arrival in the late 1700s) to just 100,000 in the early 1990s.[iii] These deaths can be attributed to diseases brought by Europeans and violent clashes between British settlers and Indigenous peoples. Settlers brutally killed Indigenous peoples who trespassed onto ‘their’ land. Mass killings were regularly carried out by British soldiers, police and settlers in a systematic fashion which has described as a genocide by some scholars.[iv] However, the violence did not stop there, until the 1970s Indigenous children were regularly stolen from their families in an attempt by government agencies and church missionaries to eradicate Aboriginal culture.[v] To this day, Indigenous Australians continue to experience discrimination, stigma and poor mental health. With this information, it is harder to justify how the first nations of Australia could have been ‘better off’ as a result of colonisation.
An awareness of the impacts of the British Empire on colonised countries and Indigenous Peoples is important so that we can recognise the legacies of colonialism when they occur today. The exploitative capitalism that comes with a disregard for Indigenous People’s rights seen today, particularly in Latin America, is reminiscent of the dynamics of colonialism. Currently, Indigenous Peoples are the on front line of defence against the destruction of the Amazon, whilst governments and private organisations encroach on their land, exploiting resources and decimating the environment. This exploitation can be described as an endless colonisation, as foreign enterprises come, change the landscape, reject cultural traditions and fulfil their own interests. Unfortunately, the UK plays a role in this. Much of the deforestation in the Amazon is done to clear land for food production, which goes into the global supply chain. Land is cleared to produce Brazilian soy, which is used to feed livestock around the world, including the UK.[vi] Furthermore, in 2020 it was revealed that UK banks and investors spent $2 billion backing meat firms linked to Amazon deforestation.[vii]
Teaching about Britain’s colonial past and the experiences of Indigenous People today, will only create more awareness and empathy towards marginalised groups and those who live their lives differently to us. Confronting our violent past within schools should not be seen as disparaging to national pride but a way of addressing our past so that we can understand society today and prevent the continuation of violence and exploitation.
[i] Booth, R. 2020. UK More Nostalgic for Empire Than Other Ex-Colonial Powers. [ii] Morris, N. 2020. Children Must Learn About the British Empire at School to Combat Racism and White Privilege. [iii] Miller, R. Ruru, J. Behrendt, L. and Lindberg, T. 2012. Discovering Indigenous Lands: The Doctrine of Discovery in the English Colonies. [iv] Allam, L. and Evershed, N. 2019. The Killing Times: The Massacres of Aboriginal People Australia Must Confront. [v] Behrendt, L. 2012. Indigenous Australia For Dummies. [vi] Abelvik-Lawson, H. 2019. Amazon Fires: Why is the Amazon Burning and What’s the UK got to do with it? [vii] Howard, E. Wasley, A. and Heal, A. Revealed: UK Banks and Investors $2bn Backing of Meat Firms Linked to Amazon Deforestation.
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