Coronet signs ‘bold’ reframing of history by Das

Coronet has landed a “vital reinterpretation of history”, (Un)civilised: 10 Lies That Made the West by Subhadra Das. 

Editorial director Harriet Poland acquired world rights from Nicola Chang at David Higham Associates. The book will be published in 2023. 

Das is a writer, historian and broadcaster specialising in history and philosophy of science, particularly the history of scientific racism and eugenics. For nine years, she was curator of the science collections at University College London where, most recently, she was also a researcher in critical eugenics at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation, working with Paul Gilroy. 

In (Un)civilised, Das undertakes a “bold, radical reframing” of history that asks readers to reconsider their perception of civilisation. Das’ exploration of the tenets of Western society reveals the truth about where these ideas came from and how they have been used to subjugate some and protect others. The publisher wrote: “It’s time to re-examine the things presented to us as objective truth, and think again about how ‘civilised’ we really are.” 

Poland commented: “(Un)civilised asks us to set aside our foolish notions of ‘truth’ and ‘history’ to radically reframe the way we understand the world. Subhadra Das is the historian we need now – fearless enough to ask the hard questions and persuasive enough to disrupt our very foundations.”

Das said: “Sitting between two worlds – the civilised West and the exoticised other – I’ve learned a lot about what the notion of Western civilisation means in practice. Some of it remains exciting and liberating, but a lot of it either falls short or is not what I thought it was in the first place. I think it’s important to acknowledge and talk about these shortcomings together, in the hope that maybe we can meet those lofty ideals in ways that benefit everyone, not just a privileged few.”