Ibn Warraq
Author of Why the West is Best and The Islam in Islamic Terrorism
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Ibn Warraq
“Bruce Gilley's The Case for Colonialism is, I believe, one of the most important works of history of the last fifty years. In an age of Western self-flagellation, and the loss of civilizational self-confidence, when every ill in the Third World is blamed on Western colonialism, Gilley's courageous work is a welcome corrective. Of course, it is superbly documented, and the bibliography alone should provide much material for further studies, but Gilley also provides enough evidence and arguments for the case for colonialism. What is most compelling is that Gilley has used the memoirs of the colonized themselves, figures such as Ahmadu Bello, and Chinua Achebe, and Indian economic historians such as Tirthankar Roy, to make the case that it was 'improving the lives of subject peoples through a transfer of liberal norms and impersonal governance institutions were the goals...For most colonized peoples, especially women and marginalized groups, European rule was an opportunity more than a threat.' One hopes that Bruce Gilley's works will put the record straight after years of Western self-loathing, and that other scholars will no longer be afraid to speak the truth about the positive legacies of Western colonialism.” (from Amazon)
by Bruce Gilley·You?
by Bruce Gilley·You?
“For the last hundred years, Western colonialism has had a bad name.” So began Professor Bruce Gilley’s watershed academic article, “The Case for Colonialism,” of 2017. The article sparked a global furor. Critics and defenders of Gilley’s argument battled it out in the court of public opinion. The Times of London described Gilley as “probably the academic most likely to be no-platformed in Britain.” The New York Times called him one of the “panicky white bros” who “proclaim ever more rowdily that the (white) West was, and is, best” and are “busy recyclers of Western supremacism.” In this book, Gilley responds to the critics and elaborates on the case for colonialism. The critics have no evidence for their claims, he asserts. The case for colonialism is robust no matter which colonizer or colonized area one examines. Patient, empirical, humorous, and not a little exasperated by anti-colonial ideologues, Gilley here sets a challenge for the next generation of scholars of colonialism. “It is time to make the case for colonialism again,” he writes.