--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My view as a historian is that the empire…" description: "\"My view as a historian is that the empire was an extractive, exploitative, racist and violent institution and that the history of empire is one we need..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/david-olusoga-5812_celebrate_my-view-as-a-historian-is-that-the-empir_923187.jpg" --- # My view as a historian is that the empire was an… ![“My view as a historian is that the empire was an extractive, exploitative, racist and violent institution and that the history of empire is one we need to confront and come to terms with, rather than celebrate.” quote by David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/david-olusoga-5812_celebrate_my-view-as-a-historian-is-that-the-empir_923187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/david-olusoga-5812_celebrate_my-view-as-a-historian-is-that-the-empir_923187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/david-olusoga-5812_celebrate_my-view-as-a-historian-is-that-the-empir_923187.jpg) > “My view as a historian is that the empire was an extractive, exploitative, racist and violent institution and that the history of empire is one we need to confront and come to terms with, rather than celebrate.” [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empires often exploit and oppress, so we must critically examine their legacies instead of glorifying them. **In simple terms:** Empires are harmful and need honest scrutiny. Key Takeaway Question and confront imperial histories. Themes history colonialism justice Mood reflective serious Type analytical critical When to use this quote - education curricula - public policy - museum exhibits - media narratives Key Concepts imperialism racism exploitation violence Questions to Reflect On - How do we teach about empire responsibly? - What reparations are appropriate? A Different Perspective Celebrating empire can ignore victims' suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celebrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebrate/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire/) [Empire Extractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire-extractive-1445226/) [Empire Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire-need-1445228/) [Historian Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian-empire-1445227/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-empire-1445225/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view/) ## Related quotes > [If you look at the history of the U.S., we were an empire long before we were a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-kaplan/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-the-u-s-we-were-an-empire-long-before/) [Robert D. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-kaplan/) > [“I don't think there's any deep psychological reason. It isn't comparable, say, to America's involvement with Vietnam and the emotional scars that that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-fitzgerald/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-deep-psychological-reason-it-isn-t/) [Valerie Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-fitzgerald/) > [At its height, Rome's empire stretched right along the coast of north Africa and sub-Saharan Africans passed to and fro across its porous southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/at-its-height-rome-s-empire-stretched-right-along-the-coast-of-north/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [“The Age of Intellect is accompanied by surprising advances in natural science. In the ninth century, for example, in the age of Mamun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bagot-glubb/the-age-of-intellect-is-accompanied-by-surprising-advances-in-natural/) [John Bagot Glubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bagot-glubb/) > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [When I first came to New York City, what I was thrilled about was not the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-city-what-i-was-thrilled-about-was-not/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. 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Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [“What really lies beneath our feet at each moment is not a usefulness, but an inaccessible netherworld that we can use because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-harman/what-really-lies-beneath-our-feet-at-each-moment-is-not-a-usefulness/) [Graham Harman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-harman/) > [I don't want a trillion-dollar empire to run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-don-t-want-a-trillion-dollar-empire-to-run/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [“I got tired of constantly watching shrewd little bullies like you walk around like you mean something, like you’re better than the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-rankin/i-got-tired-of-constantly-watching-shrewd-little-bullies-like-you/) [Christopher Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-rankin/) > [My mind to me an empire is,While grace affordeth health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dyer/my-mind-to-me-an-empire-is-while-grace-affordeth-health/) [Edward Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dyer/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [We'd always come into Syracuse for the Empire State Games and the stair fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beau-biden/we-d-always-come-into-syracuse-for-the-empire-state-games-and-the/) [Beau Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beau-biden/) ## More by David Olusoga > [I was born in Africa but brought up in the north-east of England. Most of my childhood was spent living on a council estate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-was-born-in-africa-but-brought-up-in-the-north-east-of-england-most/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Donald Trump did not cause America's democratic crisis of faith, he rode to power on it. Once in control, he and other populists discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/donald-trump-did-not-cause-america-s-democratic-crisis-of-faith-he/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Talking about class and identity can be as divisive as talking about race and racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/talking-about-class-and-identity-can-be-as-divisive-as-talking-about/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I only ever wanted to do history, and make documentaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-only-ever-wanted-to-do-history-and-make-documentaries/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Britain in the 19th century was two things simultaneously; the hub of the largest empire on earth and the greatest manufacturing and trading nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/britain-in-the-19th-century-was-two-things-simultaneously-the-hub-of/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [1819 was a year of hunger, mass unemployment, political repression and murderous, state-sanctioned violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/1819-was-a-year-of-hunger-mass-unemployment-political-repression-and/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Whether we like it or not, there are moments in history when pessimism is the appropriate response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/whether-we-like-it-or-not-there-are-moments-in-history-when-pessimism/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [In the case of the second world war the distorting factor is not poetry but our seemingly insatiable need to view the war through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/in-the-case-of-the-second-world-war-the-distorting-factor-is-not/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I disagreed with my teachers on pretty much everything, including what grades I was going to get at A-level. I was sure I'd pass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-disagreed-with-my-teachers-on-pretty-much-everything-including-what/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Democratically elected governments meekly requesting giant corporations to pay pitifully low levels of tax on their enormous profits is not a good look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/democratically-elected-governments-meekly-requesting-giant/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [At 18, I stood in the Louvre in front of the paintings that TV had first shown me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/at-18-i-stood-in-the-louvre-in-front-of-the-paintings-that-tv-had/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [I have met other black and mixed-race people who were victims of racism, often far worse than anything I experienced, and who have taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/i-have-met-other-black-and-mixed-race-people-who-were-victims-of/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [The great untruth around which everything pivots is the idea that the defenders of these statues are the defenders of history and truth; while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/the-great-untruth-around-which-everything-pivots-is-the-idea-that-the/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [The age of national leaders, or candidates for high office, has never been automatically regarded as an issue for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/the-age-of-national-leaders-or-candidates-for-high-office-has-never/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [Humans are pattern-seeking animals, consciously and subconsciously imposing designs and theories on to past events. We do this in both our private lives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/humans-are-pattern-seeking-animals-consciously-and-subconsciously/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) [Explore all 100 David Olusoga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) ## More Celebrate quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [On Valentine's Day, couples in Calgary can celebrate their love for each other with couples' nude yoga - great way to get in shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sagal/on-valentine-s-day-couples-in-calgary-can-celebrate-their-love-for/) [Peter Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sagal/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [Birth, life, death is a cycle. And they're all beautiful, you celebrate all of them. Animals do grieve, but they move on. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/birth-life-death-is-a-cycle-and-they-re-all-beautiful-you-celebrate/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [I just wanted to jump into the stands and start celebrating with those wonderful fans. 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