To think this was an inappropriate school task

[Lalalabrador]

My year 8 daughter was asked to write an essay today on the question How did India benefit from colonialism and how was it harmed by it? I’m pretty gobsmacked. I’m a professional historian and sad that something so intellectually bankrupt is being taught to young people.

History should be the study of how and why things happened.

You have no more right to criticise people who lived hundreds of years ago, for having not lived up to 'your' early C21st belief systems, than people who will live in hundreds of years from now will have for attacking you for your not having lived up to theirs.

The whole 'benefits' versus 'costs' of colonialism approach seems to me a massive red herring.

Guess you don’t want to buy my new book?

Not if it's going to be one of these history books which seem to be in fashion these days which only present one view of the argument - ie. the writer's own.
I've noticed this with a lot of books published in the last 5 - 10 years. Differing opinions and arguments are not weighed up leading to a conclusion but one opinion is pushed from the beginning as that is what we all must accept as being the correct viewpoint.