The Breath of Empire

More about the book

Focusing on the intersection of colonial trauma and family dynamics, the book explores the experiences of Chinese families in British Hong Kong and Anglo-Chinese families in England. It emphasizes the often-overlooked narratives of women and critiques traditional accounts of colonial history. By linking personal and collective trauma to physical ailments like tuberculosis and asthma, it introduces the concept of "respiratory politics," reflecting on how these issues resonate with contemporary challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and historical fears of suffocation.