Imperialism’s Modern Defenders and the Tyrannies of Discourse

Abstract

This article critically examines the ongoing debate about whether the British Empire was a force for good, exemplified by the recent exchange between Robert Tombs and Alan Lester, as well as Nigel Biggar’s defence in Imperial Reckoning. It highlights how defenders of imperialism use historical narratives to justify colonial atrocities and resist critique. It argues that imperialism’s legacy persists through three main forms. (1) Structural power and domination: the colonial project established entrenched systems of political, military, and economic control, justified by narratives that portrayed the West as morally superior. (2) Historiography and glorification: imperial defenders construct dominant histories that glorify empire, marginalize dissent, and present their perspective as objective truth and, in the process, silence alternative voices. (3) Contemporary cultural reconfigurations: modern imperialism manifests in culture wars – attack on wokeism, targeted hostility towards LGBTQ+ communities, migrants, and other marginalized groups. In making its argument regarding imperial continuity, the article applies Foucault’s concept of the ‘tyranny of discourse’ to show how imperial narratives shape knowledge, attitudes, power structures and contemporary politics.