

Martin Thomas, "The End of Empires and a World Remade: A Global History of Decolonization" (Princeton UP, 2024)
Apr 29, 2025
Martin Thomas, a Professor of imperial history and director of the Centre for Histories of Violence and Conflict at the University of Exeter, dives deep into the complex story of decolonization. He explores how the collapse of empires redefined global borders and sparked international struggles. The discussion highlights the connections between decolonization and globalization, revealing both opportunities and stark inequalities. Thomas also addresses the role of women and global solidarity in anti-colonial movements, providing a fresh perspective on this transformative history.
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Global History Requires Many Voices
- Martin Thomas frames his book as a synthesis of many scholars' work to create a global history of decolonization.
- He argues global history must work from local, bottom-up perspectives to reveal big transnational patterns.
Decolonization Is A Long, Incomplete Process
- Thomas rejects narrow political definitions of decolonization that equate it solely with independence dates and maps.
- He defines decolonization as a long, unfinished process spanning political, economic, and cultural change.
Ghana's Post-Independence Economic Dependence
- Thomas uses Ghana to illustrate political independence without economic independence, noting repeated IMF loans since 1957.
- He cites Kwame Nkrumah's 1959 warning about neocolonialism to explain persistent economic dependence.