This edited collection draws together new historical writing on the Commonwealth. It features the work of younger scholars, as well as established academics, and highlights themes such as law and sovereignty, republicanism and the monarchy, French engagement with the Commonwealth, the anti-apartheid struggle, race and immigration, memory and commemoration, and banking. The volume focusses less on the Commonwealth as an institution than on the relevance and meaning of the Commonwealth to its member countries and peoples. By adopting oblique, de-centred, approaches to Commonwealth history, unusual or overlooked connections are brought to the fore while old problems are looked at from fresh vantage points – be this turning points like the relationship between ‘old’ and `new’ Commonwealth members from 1949, or the distinctive roles of major figures like Jawaharlal Nehru or Jan Smuts. The volume thereby aims to refresh interest in Commonwealth history as a field of comparative international history.

Commonwealth Literature Continues To Retain A Separate Identity In The Twenty-First Century, Even Though Some Of Its Creators Do Not Favour The Term Any Longer. Our Identity Stems From Our History. English Was A Historical Accident That Gave An Overwhelming Majority Of The Commonwealth Countries The First Opportunity For Creative Expression. English Is Now The Chief Marker Of Identity For Commonwealth Fiction, Which Owes Its Current High Visibility In The International Arena To English. In This Light, Stimulating Answers May Be Found To The Questions Concerning The Relevance Of Commonwealth As A Literary Category, The Common Characteristics Of The Literatures Produced In The Former British Colonies, And The Role Of Academia In Keeping Alive The Idea Of Commonwealth Literature.In This Anthology, Scholars From At Least Three Continents Analyse Some Important Works Of Fiction Originating From The Former British Colonies, Deal With Major Topics In The Current Postcolonial Debate, And Put Commonwealth Fiction Itself Into Perspective.

This is the official website for the cancelled Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2001. It features information on the Commonwealth of Nations its history and purpose as well as an events schedule.

Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union? Is the Commonwealth of Nations still relevant for its very diverse member states, ranging from small island states to Australia and India? In contemporary British politics, both organisations have come under fierce criticism, sometimes leading to hasty assessments of historical experiences and current policies. Given the fact that the United Kingdom, Cyprys and Malta are members of both organisations, and that ‘Brexit’ would have far-ranging consequences much beyond British shores, relations between the EU and the Commonwealth have featured surprisingly rarely in major debates of international policy. This edited volume suggests possible – and even desirable – connections between the two organisations by investing current contacts, fault lines, external critique and outside perspectives. Focusing on soft power, development, humanitarianism and modes of intervention, the authors investigate disputes over international norms and trade patterns. Through global approaches and specific case studies drawn from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, they demonstrate where opportunities for international cooperation were missed and how useful partnerships might be found. The EU and the Commonwealth are undoubtedly very different organisations but distinctions can provide grounds for meaningful, relevant cooperation. More strategic dialogue between the Commonwealth and the EU, this volume agues, would be a valuable asset for the two international organisations, their member states and their citizens. This book was originally published as a special issue of The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.

In the wake of Brexit, the Commonwealth has been identified as an important body for future British trade and diplomacy, but few know what it actually does. How is it organized and what has held it together for so long? How important is the Queen's role as Head of the Commonwealth? Most importantly, why has it had such a troubled recent past, and is it realistic to imagine that its fortunes might be reversed?In The Empire's New Clothes,? Murphy strips away the gilded self-image of the Commonwealth to reveal an irrelevant institution afflicted by imperial amnesia. He offers a personal perspective on this complex and poorly understood institution, and asks if it can ever escape from the shadow of the British Empire to become an organization based on shared values, rather than a shared history.

The Commonwealth consists of only a quarter of the world’s states and yet the Commonwealth Secretariat and Foundation have made and continue to make a significant contribution to global politics. Commonwealth is a superb examination of an often neglected but crucial force in world affairs. Timothy M. Shaw; explains the history, structure and future of the Commonwealth demonstrates the central role that the Commonwealth has played in advancing decolonization and supporting multiculturalism, democracy and human rights details the significant links between Commonwealth institutions and myriad networks concerned with education, development, gender, health, islands, literature, media and sport examines the Commonwealth within the context of wider debates about ‘global’ governance and globalization.