• Enabling a broader range of voices, including indigenous and marginalised – objects are a legacy left by those without a written record for Principle 6.

• Enables students to engage in contemporary debates about museum ownership, repatriation, the Commonwealth, and Britain’s place in the world for Principle 5.

• Enabling students to build an understanding of their British history and how this intersects with histories of people around the world, including migration into Britain for Principle 3.

In addition to the core content developed in lessons, the unit aims to leave students with the following key takeaways:

• That the nature of the British Empire varied significantly across period and place.

• That the consequences of colonial rule were vast and continues to be present in the world today.

• That the British Empire was and is central to understanding Britain’s role in the world since 1600 to present day.

• That judgments about historical significance are provisional and based on criteria selected by historians as well as historical evidence.

• That history is curated by the historian as an interpretation.

• That material objects have meaning, and these meanings can change.

• That the work of collectors, curators and museums can influence the stories of objects.

• That material culture can illuminate histories beyond those preserved by the archives.

• That material culture can act as a medium through which we can explore a thematic approach to the

study of empire.

• That the experience of the British Empire were varied by period, place, and individuals.

• That the colonised people of the British Empire were and are not a homogenous group.

• That indigenous people resisted colonisation and survived colonial rule in various ways.

• That giving voice to indigenous people is an important part of trying to explore more complete histories

of Britain’s colonial past, and that material culture can support this.

• That the legacy of the British Empire is still part of the livid experience of countries and their socio-political and economic landscape.

• That the legacy of the British Empire continues to play a significant role in identity and meaning in the lives of indigenous people.

• Broadens historical skills– students become more adept at using source material and material culture, as well as understanding how historical narratives are built through the meaning of objects both historically and in the world today, for Principle 2 and 4.

• Accessing complex histories - thematic pull of objects, and the ability to draw out those themes in a limited time for Principle 1.

• Accessing the history curriculum beyond text can support the needs of a wider range of leaners for Principle 1 and 7.

• Storytelling – objects provide an ideal way to root students in a particular story from which they can build from an individual object to larger phenomena for Principle 1, 2, 4, and 7.

• Flexible– what you can do with an object will really vary depending on how you scaffold, and what you get from them can vary significantly for Principle 7.

nature of this assessments allows for the potential for students to explore all of the Ethical Principles, depending on how they approach the exhibition. Students can be given more guidance or greater scaffolding to support with this. The exhibition will centre one of the objects we have studied within the enquiry, and students need to build a mini exhibition around that object to help illuminate its history. Students are given the following instructions for what to include in their exhibition:

1. Choose one object, with an explanation of why you have chosen it – this encourages students to think critically about the historical significance of the item, and its meaning for today. (Principle 1/2/4/5/6/7)

2. A written description of the object to be displayed in the museum – this takes the form of a museum label where students have to capture the object’s history in approximately 50 words.(Principle 2/4/5/6/7)

3. Two objects to sit alongside the main one, with explanations of why they have been chosen and how these objects build a broader history and interpretation. (Principle 2/3/4/5/6/7)

4. An explanation of what your exhibition would be like, how it would work as an education resources, where it would be placed, and why they have made these choices. (Principle 2/3/4/5/6/7)

This specific enquiry asks students ‘How can material culture help us to understand Britain’s role in the world?’.

The scope of the enquiry therefore allows for the exploration of all ethical principles. Students are therefore

using rigorously academic scholarship and a broad range of historical skills to examine material culture. They are also thinking critically about the meaning of these objects, both historically and today, and what this means for Britain’s relationship with other countries and people. This goes further to empower students to explore marginalised voices of the British Empire that have not been recorded in the archives, but are present in material culture. Overall the enquiry empowers students to work and think like an historian in order to reflect on Britain’s history and place in the world.

Find more at www.objectsofempire.co.uk

Neil McGreggor (2012) ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’ and the chapter on the Akan Drum specifically.

Sarah Longair, Island Collecting: Objects and Empire in the Western Indian Ocean, 1850 - 1930, forthcoming 2026.

Sadiah Qureshi (2012) ‘Tipu’s Tiger and Images of India, 1799-2010’ in S. Longair and J. McAleer (eds), Curating empire; museums and the British imperial experience

Smith, Alison & Brown, David Blayney & Jacobi, Carol & Tate Britain (Gallery) (2015) Artist and empire; facing Britain's imperial past

Zachary Kingdon (2014) ‘The Queen as an Aku Woman?: Reassessing “Yoruba” Queen Victoria Portrait Figures.’ African Arts

William Dalrymple (2020). The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company.

Nandini Das (2023). Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire.

Sathnam Sanghera (2021). Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

David Veevers (2023). The Great Defiance: How the World Took on the British Empire.

In addition, various articles from Teaching History, the British Museum blog, the Guardian, and academic journals were used in the preparation of this enquiry.