Empire: a Very Short Introduction

In this superb short introduction to the concept of empire, Stephen Howe interprets the meaning of the idea through the ages, disentangling the multiple uses and abuses of the labels "empire" and "colonialism" and examining the aftermath of imperialism on the contemporary world. He shows that though the great historic imperial systems have collapsed during the past half century, their legacies still shape almost every aspect of life on a global scale. He also examines the fierce...
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In this superb short introduction to the concept of empire, Stephen Howe interprets the meaning of the idea through the ages, disentangling the multiple uses and abuses of the labels "empire" and "colonialism" and examining the aftermath of imperialism on the contemporary world. He shows that though the great historic imperial systems have collapsed during the past half century, their legacies still shape almost every aspect of life on a global scale. He also examines the fierce debates about what has replaced the old territorial empires in world politics.