Imperial reckoning : the untold story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

A major work of history that for the first time reveals the violence and terror at the heart of Britain's civilizing mission in KenyaAs part of the Allied forces, thousands of Kenyans fought alongside the British in World War II. But just a few years after the defeat of Hitler, the British colonial government detained nearly the entire population of Kenya's largest ethnic minority, the Kikuyu-some one and a half million people.The compelling story of the system of prisons and work camps where thousands met their deaths has remained largely untold-the victim of a determined effort by the British to destroy all official records of their attempts to stop the Mau Mau uprising, the Kikuyu people's ultimately successful bid for Kenyan independence. Caroline Elkins, an assistant professor of history at Harvard University, spent a decade in London, Nairobi, and the Kenyan countryside interviewing hundreds of Kikuyu men and women who survived the British camps, as well as the British and African loyalists who detained them. The result is an unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial empire in Kenya-a pivotal moment in twentieth- century history with chilling parallels to America's own imperial project. Imperial Reckoning is the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.

a Major Work Of History That For The First Time Reveals The Violence And Terror At The Heart Of Britain's Civilizing Mission In Kenya

as Part Of The Allied Forces, Thousands Of Kenyans Fought Alongside The British In World War Ii. But Just A Few Years After The Defeat Of Hitler, The British Colonial Government Detained Nearly The Entire Population Of Kenya's Largest Ethnic Minority, The Kikuyu-some One And A Half Million People.

the Compelling Story Of The System Of Prisons And Work Camps Where Thousands Met Their Deaths Has Remained Largely Untold-the Victim Of A Determined Effort By The British To Destroy All Official Records Of Their Attempts To Stop The Mau Mau Uprising, The Kikuyu People's Ultimately Successful Bid For Kenyan Independence.

caroline Elkins, An Assistant Professor Of History At Harvard University, Spent A Decade In London, Nairobi, And The Kenyan Countryside Interviewing Hundreds Of Kikuyu Men And Women Who Survived The British Camps, As Well As The British And African Loyalists Who Detained Them.

the Result Is An Unforgettable Account Of The Unraveling Of The British Colonial Empire In Kenya-a Pivotal Moment In Twentieth- Century History With Chilling Parallels To America's Own Imperial Project.

publishers Weekly

in A Major Historical Study, Elkins, An Assistant Professor Of History At Harvard, Relates The Gruesome, Little-known Story Of The Mass Internment And Murder Of Thousands Of Kenyans At The Hands Of The British In The Last Years Of Imperial Rule. Beginning With A Trenchant Account Of British Colonial Enterprise In Kenya, Elkins Charts White Supremacy's Impact On Kenya's Largest Ethnic Group, The Kikuyu, And The Radicalization Of A Kikuyu Faction Sworn By Tribal Oath To Extremism Known As Mau Mau. Elkins Recounts How In The Late 1940s Horrific Mau Mau Murders Of White Settlers On Their Isolated Farms Led The British Government To Declare A State Of Emergency That Lasted Until 1960, Legitimating A Decade-long Assault On The Kikuyu. First, The British Blatantly Rigged The Trial Of And Imprisoned The Moderate Leader Jomo Kenyatta (later Kenya's First Postindependence Prime Minister). Beginning In 1953, They Deported Or Detained 1.4 Million Kikuyu, Who Were Systematically Screened, And In Many Cases Tortured, To Determine The Extent Of Their Mau Mau Sympathies. Having Combed Public Archives In London And Kenya And Conducted Extensive Interviews With Both Kikuyu Survivors And Settlers, Elkins Exposes The Hypocrisy Of Britain's Supposed Colonial Civilizing Mission And Its Subsequent Coverups. A Profoundly Chilling Portrait Of The Inherent Racism And Violence Of Colonial Logic, Elkins's Account Was Also The Subject Of A 2002 Bbc Documentary Entitled Kenya: White Terror. Her Superbly Written And Impassioned Book Deserves The Widest Possible Readership. B&w Photos, Maps. Agent, Jill Kneerim. (jan. 11) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"On October 8, 1871, a tornado of fire more than 1,000 feet high and 5 miles wide ripped through the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, destroying over 2,400 square miles of forest and killing more than 2,200 people. On the same day, 262 miles to the south, 300 people died in the highly publicized Chicago fire.". "Denise Gess and William Lutz rescue the long-forgotten story of this firestorm and the people caught in its path. We meet the ambitious lumber barons Isaac Stephenson and William Ogden, flush with the American dream of building lumber mills and towns to reap the riches of the vast northern forests, never imagining that what they built would disappear in a few horrendous hours. And Father Peter Pernin, who had recently witnessed the construction of two churches, unaware that they and many of the people who worshiped in them would soon be little more than ashes. Reporting on the dry conditions and the many smaller fires in the weeks leading up to the conflagration were Luther Noyes, publisher of the Marinette and Peshtigo Eagle, and Franklin Tilton, publisher of the Green Bay Advocate. Finally, we're introduced to the geologist and meteorologist Increase Lapham - the only person who understood the unusual and dangerous nature of this fire - who was largely ignored." "Drawn from survivors' letters, diaries, and interviews and local newspaper accounts, Firestorm at Peshtigo tells the human, political, and scientific story behind America's deadliest fire."--BOOK JACKET. A major work of history that for the first time reveals the violence and terror at the heart of Britain's civilizing mission in Kenya. As part of the Allied forces, thousands of Kenyans fought alongside the British in World War II. But just a few years after the defeat of Hitler, the British colonial government detained nearly the entire population of Kenya's largest ethnic minority, the Kikuyu-some one, and a half million people. The compelling story of the system of prisons and work camps where thousands met their deaths has remained largely untold- the victim of a determined effort by the British to destroy all official records of their attempts to stop the Mau Mau uprising, the Kikuyu people's ultimately successful bid for Kenyan independence. Caroline Elkins, an assistant professor of history at Harvard University, spent a decade in London, Nairobi, and the Kenyan countryside interviewing hundreds of Kikuyu men and women who survived the British camps and the British and African loyalists who detained them. The result is an unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial empire in Kenya-a pivotal moment in twentieth-century history with chilling parallels to America's own imperial project. Imperial Reckoning is the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction. Only a few years after Britain's participation in the victory over fascism came the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya - a mass armed rebellion by the Kikuyu people, demanding the return of their land and freedom. The draconian response of Britain's colonial government was to detain nearly the entire Kikuyu population of 1.5 million and to portray them as sub-human savages. Detainees in their thousands - possibly a hundred thousand or more - died from exhaustion, disease, starvation and systemic physical brutality. For decades these events remained untold. Caroline Elkins conducted years of research to piece together this story, unearthing reams of documents and interviewing several hundred Kikuyu survivors. Britain's Gulag reveals, for the first time, the full savagery of the Mau Mau war and the ruthless determination with which Britain sought to control its empire. Thousands of Kenyans fought alongside the British in World War II, but just a few years after the defeat of Hitler, the British colonial government detained nearly the entire population of Kenya's largest ethnic minority, the Kikuyu--some one and a half million people. The story of the system of prisons and work camps where thousands met their deaths has remained largely untold, because of a determined effort by the British to destroy all official records of their attempts to stop the Mau Mau uprising, the Kikuyu people's ultimately successful bid for Kenyan independence--Publisher. Caroline Elkins. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [433]-449) And Index.