What does it mean for the social sciences to take colonialism seriously - not just as an issue of the past, but in terms of its continuing consequences in the present? While calls to decolonize the curriculum are increasing, few resources show what this means in terms of the everyday categories and concepts of the social sciences. This textbook addresses that gap by rethinking key themes-migration, citizenship, inequality, and the environment-through a critical engagement with colonial histories.
Developed from the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project (CSCP) and written by scholars committed to transforming their teaching and research, the book challenges long-standing assumptions and provides practical, classroom-ready resources. It enables teachers and students to approach familiar topics from new angles, opening space for more rigorous and inclusive debates.
Pedagogical and distinctive features include:
* Structured chapters with learning objectives, summaries, discussion questions and reading lists;
* Thematic case studies that complement conceptual chapters;
* Links to rich digital resources, including videos and teaching tools from CSCP, Global Social Theory and Discover Society;
* Ready-made materials adaptable for undergraduate and sixth-form teaching.
Together, it makes an essential guide for anyone seeking to broaden the scope and depth of social science education.
Introduction: The Making of the Modern World: Colonialism and Empire - Gurminder K Bhambra, Ipek Demir, Paul Gilbert, Su-Ming Khoo, and Lucy Mayblin Part 1: The Making of the Modern World - Gurminder K Bhambra 1. The Haitian Revolution in the Making of the Modern World - Gurminder K Bhambra 2. Understanding the Colonial Global Economy - Paul Robert Gilbert 3. Colonial Extraction and Dispossession - Su-Ming Khoo 4. Enslavement, Indenture, and Resistance in the British Empire - Maria del Pilar Kaladeen 5. Enclosures and the Making of Modern Britain - Imogen Tyler 6. Decolonization in the Making of the Modern World - Deanndre Chen and Meera Sabaratnam Part 2: The Politics of Inequality - Paul Gilbert 7. Class, Capitalism, and Colonialism - John Holmwood 8. The Grunwick Strike: Uncovering Migrant Women’s Contributions to Struggles for Workers’ Rights in the UK - Sundari Anitha 9. Staying Put in a Hostile Environment - Daniel Renwick 10. Exploring the Growth of ‘Emergency’ Charitable Food Aid in the UK - Kayleigh Garthwaite 11. Race, Colonialism, and Modern Slavery - Genevieve Lebaron and Dr Ali Bhagat 12. The Uk’s Elite: Colonial and Transnational Dynamics - Katie Higgins Part 3: Migration, Diaspora, and Asylum - Lucy Mayblin 13. Colonialism, Immigration, and the Making of British Citizenship - James Hampshire 14. Asylum in Britain and the Legacies of Colonialism - Lucy Mayblin 15. Diasporic Interventions: How Diasporas Have Shaped Modernity and Challenged the Global North - Ipek Demir 16. Making Love, Making Empire: Family, Colonial Racism, and Border Controls - Joe Turner 17. Populism, Migration, and the Politics of Racism - Karim Murji 18. The British Migration-Citizenship Regime: From Decolonization to Brexit - Michaela Benson Part 4: Multiculturalism and Anti-racism - Ipek Demir 19. British Black Power - John Narayan 20. (Un)Archiving Black British Feminisms - Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert 21. Modes of Integration, Multiculturalism, and National Identities - Tariq Modood 22. Anxieties of Multiculturalism: The Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair - John Holmwood 23. Security and the War on Terror: Predict, Prevent, Police - Shereen Fernandez 24. Policing, Racial Capitalism, and Abolition - Vanessa Thompson Part 5: The Environment - Su-Ming Khoo 25. Connected Sociologies of Pollution - Su-Ming Khoo 26. Extractivism, Anti-extractivism, and Post-extractivism in Latin America - Andrea Sempértegui 27. A Global Green New Deal? Signatures of Continuing Colonial Violence - Harpreet Kaur Spannos 28. Political Ecology: Critical Reflections - Mitul Baruah 29. Our Worlds of Palm Oil: A Tale of Colonialism, Consumerism and Technology - Max Haiven 30. Remaking Race in the Crucible of Climate Change - Andrew Baldwin Conclusion: Remaking the Social Sciences After Colonialism - Paul Gilbert, Gurminder K Bhambra, Ipek Demir, Su-Ming Khoo, and Lucy Mayblin Using the Lesson Plans for the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project - Isabel Sykes
Gurminder K. Bhambra is Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Sussex. Ipek Demir is Professor of Diaspora Studies at the University of Leeds. Paul Robert Gilbert is Reader in Development, Justice and Inequality at the University of Sussex. Su-ming Khoo is Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Sociology at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Lucy Mayblin is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sheffield.
Reviews for The Modern World After Colonialism: Remaking the Social Sciences
‘A unique and exceptionally valuable resource for scholars and students in this field.’ William Outhwaite, Newcastle University ‘A transformative text that blends authoritative scholarship with ready-to-use classroom resources, and with it a potential to reshape how the social sciences are studied.’ Nasar Meer, University of Glasgow
