Empires and Colonies - (Themes in History) by Jonathan Hart (Paperback)

About the Book

"Empires and Colonies provides an exploration of the expansion of the seabourne empires of western Europe from the fifteenth century and how that process of expansion affected the world, including its successor, the United States."--Jacket.

Book Synopsis

Empires and Colonies provides a thoroughgoing and lively exploration of the expansion of the seaborne empires of western Europe from the fifteenth century and how that process of expansion affected the world,
including its successor, the United States.

Whilst providing special attention to Europe, the book is careful to highlight the ambivalence and contradiction of that expansion. The book also illuminates connections between empires and colonies as a theme in history, concentrating on culture while also discussing the rich social, economic and political dimensions of the story.


Furthermore, Empires and Colonies recognizes that whilst a study of the expansion of Europe is an important part of world history, it is not a history of the world per se. The focus on culture is used to assert that areas and peoples
that lack great economic power at any given time also deserve attention. These alternative voices of slaves, indigenous peoples and critics of empire and colonization are an important and compelling element of the book.

Empires and Colonies will be essential reading not only for students of imperial history, but also for anyone interested in the makings of our modern world.

From the Back Cover

Empires and Colonies provides a thoroughgoing and lively exploration of the expansion of the seaborne empires of western Europe from the fifteenth century and how that process of expansion affected the world,
including its successor, the United States.

Whilst providing special attention to Europe, the book is careful to highlight the ambivalence and contradiction of that expansion. The book also illuminates connections between empires and colonies as a theme in history, concentrating on culture while also discussing the rich social, economic and political dimensions of the story.

Furthermore, Empires and Colonies recognizes that whilst a study of the expansion of Europe is an important part of world history, it is not a history of the world per se. The focus on culture is used to assert that areas and peoples
that lack great economic power at any given time also deserve attention. These alternative voices of slaves, indigenous peoples and critics of empire and colonization are an important and compelling element of the book.

Empires and Colonies will be essential reading not only for students of imperial history, but also for anyone interested in the makings of our modern world.

Review Quotes

"To contain the story to an accessible 387 pages, Hart uses 1415 as the starting date. Even so, the book is striking in its scope, managing to extend the topic back to classic antiquity and such famed minds as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Aristotle's famed student, Alexander the Great."
Calgary Herald

This is a book of majestic synthesis, a tour de force and a timely reminder of the persistence of empires and imperialism in the political imagination."

Jeremy I. Adelman, Princeton University

"Empires and Colonies covers, in great depth, the entire tangled and tragic history of European empire-building - a powerful, wide-ranging book which is not only a history but also a significant contribution to an important contemporary political debate."

Anthony Pagden, University of California, Los Angeles

About the Author

Jonathan Hart is Professor of English, Director of Comparative Literature and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Alberta.