An Imperial World: Empires and Colonies Since 1750

Using a combination of historical narrative, primary documents, and synthetic analysis, this book offers a broad overview of global imperialism during the last three centuries. It examines the historical development of colonial systems and shows their enormous role in shaping the modern world order. Broad conceptual coverage outlines the structures of imperial power, surveying the "hard" side of modern empires - their ideological underpinnings, their military, economic, and political goals, and the practical techniques used by colonial authorities; then explores the enormous cultural and social impact of colonial systems in shaping the everyday lives of men, women, and children all around the globe, in the metropoles as well as in the colonies. For enthusiasts of world history, especially modern world civilization courses.

Douglas Northrop
Douglas Northrop is an associate professor in the departments of history and Near Eastern studies at the University of Michigan. He is the author of Veiled Empire: Gender and Power in Stalinist Central Asia (Cornell University Press, 2004), which won both the W. Bruce Lincoln Prize and Heldt Prize. Northrop has also published articles in Slavic Review and Russian Review, to name a few. Northrop specializes in the modern history of Central Asia, but also focuses his writing and teaching on world history, environmental history, and the cultural aspects of modern colonialism.