Name: Civilisations
Rating: 3 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9781781259979

David Olusoga

"Published in conjunction with the BBC's Civilisations series"--Title page verso.

The Cult of Progress

Civilisations

Companion to the major new BBC documentary series CIVILISATIONS, presented by Mary Beard, David Olusoga and Simon Schama Oscar Wilde said 'Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.' Was he right? In Civilisations, David Olusoga travels the world to piece together the shared histories that link nations. In Part One, First Contact, we discover what happened to art in the great Age of Discovery, when civilisations encountered each other for the first time. Although undoubtedly a period of conquest and destruction, it was also one of mutual curiosity, global trade and the exchange of ideas. In Part Two, The Cult of Progress, we see how the Industrial Revolution transformed the world, impacting every corner, and every civilisation, from the cotton mills of the Midlands through Napoleon's conquest of Egypt to the decimation of both Native American and Maori populations and the advent of photography in Paris in 1839. Incredible art - both looted and created - relays the key events and their outcomes throughout the world.

As seen on TV

Civilisations: First Contact / The Cult of Progress

I have not seen the programme so maybe that is why my expectations were different. I had hoped for a little bit more focus on the art and complexities of pre-colonial cultures, rather than approaching it from the point of contact of Western Europeans. While it is important to talk about the bigotry and ignorance of colonisers (even where well-meaning, as far as it can be such) - however much we might now be aware of it - my interest really lay a lot more in thoeculture themselves.

Still a pretty good presentation for the general public. 

I have not seen the programme so maybe that is why my expectations were different. I had hoped for a little bit more focus on the art and complexities of pre-colonial cultures, rather than approaching it from the point of contact of Western Europeans. While it is important to talk about the bigotry and ignorance of colonisers (even where well-meaning, as far as it can be such) - however much we might now be aware of it - my interest really lay a lot more in thoeculture themselves.

Still a pretty good presentation for the general public. 

Civilisations The Cult of Progress

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