Colonialism: A Global History interprets colonialism as an unequal relationship characterised by displacement and domination, and reveals the ways in which this relationship has been constitutive of global modernity.
The volume focuses on colonialism’s dynamism, adaptability, and resilience. It appraises a number of successive global colonial ‘waves’, each constituting a specific form of colonial domination, each different from the previous ones, each affecting different locales at different times, and each characterised by a particular method of exploiting colonised populations and territories. Outlining a succession of distinct colonising conjunctures, and the ways in which they ‘washed over’ what is today understood as the ‘Global South’, shaping and reshaping institutions and prompting diverse responses from colonised communities, Colonialism: A Global History also outlines the contemporary relevance of this unequal relation. Overall, it provides an original definition of colonialism and tells the global history of this mode of domination’s evolution and reach.
The broad chronological and geographical scope makes this volume the ideal resource for all students and scholars interested in globalisation, colonialism, and empire.
Introduction: Approaching Colonial Phenomena, 1. Europe’s Expansion – The First and the Second Wave, 2. The Atlantic Slave Trade, 3. The Mercantilist Colonial Empires, 4. Empire by Settlers – The Third Wave, 5. The Imperialism of Free Trade – The Fourth Wave, 6. The Imperialist Scramble – The Fifth Wave, 7. The Last Wave? High Imperialism and Fascist Aggression, 8. The Japanese Colonial Empire, 1868-1945, 9. Decolonisation: Conceded or Conquered?, 10. Conclusion: Colonial Legacies – Underdevelopment and Postcolonial Violence
Biography
Lorenzo Veracini teaches history and politics at the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. His research focuses on the comparative history of colonial systems. He has authored Israel and Settler Society (2006), Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview (2010), The Settler Colonial Present (2015), and The World Turned Inside Out (2021).
