The British Empire, Pomp, Power and Postcolonialism

This study guide to Imperialism by one of our most prolific historians offers a concise overview of Britain's role in Colonialism, the slavery issue, the British Raj and the scramble for Africa, and probes the motives for empire and continuing issues of post-colonialism.

I: A Journey over Palm and Pine: An Overview of Histories, Peoples and Developments
1. Early Colonialism: Exploration, Exploitation and Chartered Companies;
2. The Company Raj (India) and the Loss of the American Colonies;
3. Slavery, Anti-Slavery, Liberalism and Imperialism;
4. Imperial Expansion in the Nineteenth Century;
5. War, Retreat and Transformation in the Twentieth Century

II: Problems in Interpretation: Historiography, Post-Colonialism and Sources
6. Historiography: approaches to the history of the British Empire;
7. Post-Colonialism: Explanation and Evaluation;
8. Sources: Eurocentrism, the “˜silenced” sources, and the problem of “˜representation”
III: Issues and Debates
9. Controversies over the Motives for Empire;
10. The Colonies of Settlement: Colonisation, Identities and Narratives; 11. The Nature of Imperialism: How did the British Empire Function? 12. Collaboration and Resistance;
13. Race, Class and Gender