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European imperialism was one of the most significant processes that shaped the modern world. The British Empire was the largest in history, ruling directly and indirectly over more than one fifth of the world's population (around five hundred million people) by the early twentieth century. The devastating consequences of colonial rule, including the violent extraction of resources, continue to structure our present global economic order. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, museums emerged as active tools of empire, showcasing Eurocentric and racialised ideals and narratives that often reflected the disciplinary logic of the imperial state. Collecting practices abroad were an inherent part of colonialism, and by displaying these collections under Western classification systems, British museums also offered a public justification for expansion and imperial rule. 2 Alongside monuments, memorials and statues, museums can today also be viewed as potent, celebratory reminders of colonialism. 3 A 2014 YouGov UK survey asked the public how they felt about the British Empire -fifty-nine per cent said they felt it was 'something to be proud of' and forty-nine per cent thought the 'countries that were colonised by

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