The Oxford World History of Empire: Two-Volume Set

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Peter Fibiger Bang (Associate Professor of History, Associate Professor of History, University of Copenhagen) C. A. Bayly (Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of Cambridge)

The Oxford World History of Empire

Two-Volume Set

Peter Fibiger Bang (Associate Professor of History, Associate Professor of History, University of Copenhagen), C. A. Bayly (Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of Cambridge), Walter Scheidel (Professor of Classics and, by courtesy, History, Professor of Classics and, by courtesy, History, Stanford University)

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English

Oxford University Press
11 March 2021

History; General & world history; European history; Asian history; African history; Colonialism & imperialism

This is the first world history of empire, reaching from the third millennium BCE to the present. By combining synthetic surveys, thematic comparative essays, and numerous chapters on specific empires, its two volumes provide unparalleled coverage of imperialism throughout history and across continents, from Asia to Europe and from Africa to the Americas. Only a few decades ago empire was believed to be a thing of the past; now it is clear that it has been and remains one of the most enduring forms of political organization and power. We cannot understand the dynamics and resilience of empire without moving decisively beyond the study of individual cases or particular periods, such as the relatively short age of European colonialism. The history of empire, as these volumes amply demonstrate, needs to be drawn on the much broader canvas of global history.

Volume I: The Imperial Experience is dedicated to synthesis and comparison. Following a comprehensive theoretical survey and bold world history synthesis, fifteen chapters analyze and explore the multifaceted experience of empire across cultures and through the ages. The broad range of perspectives includes: scale, world systems and geopolitics, military organization, political economy and elite formation, monumental display, law, mapping and registering, religion, literature, the politics of difference, resistance, energy transfers, ecology, memories, and the decline of empires. This broad set of topics is united by the central theme of power, examined under four headings: systems of power, cultures of power, disparities of power, and memory and decline. Taken together, these chapters offer a comprehensive and unique view of the imperial experience in world history.

Volume II: The History of Empires tracks the protean history of political domination from the very beginnings of state formation in the Bronze Age up to the present. Case studies deal with the full range of the historical experience of empire, from the realms of the Achaemenids and Asoka to the empires of Mali and Songhay, and from ancient Rome and China to the Mughals, American settler colonialism, and the Soviet Union. Forty-five chapters detailing the history of individual empires are tied together by a set of global synthesizing surveys that structure the world history of empire into eight chronological phases.

Edited by: Peter Fibiger Bang (Associate Professor of History Associate Professor of History University of Copenhagen), C. A. Bayly (Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of Cambridge), Walter Scheidel (Professor of Classics and, by courtesy, History, Professor of Classics and, by courtesy, History, Stanford University)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 274mm, Width: 198mm, Spine: 99mm
Weight: 3.520kg
ISBN: 9780197533970
ISBN 10: 0197533973
Pages: 1856
Publication Date: 11 March 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Peter Fibiger Bang is Associate Professor of History at the University of Copenhagen. C. A. Bayly was the Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History at the University of Cambridge. Walter Scheidel is the Dickason Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Classics and History, and a Kennedy-Grossman Fellow in Human Biology at Stanford University.

Reviews for The Oxford World History of Empire: Two-Volume Set

The juxtaposition of various empires makes fascinating reading. These very engaging volumes will be a delightful read for any scholars interested in the history of empires. They will also make an excellent addition to any collection as a good general study of empires and an excellent starting point for research into specific empires. * W. J. Rafter, CHOICE * The two volumes that form The Oxford World History of Empire successfully provide a nuanced and critical understanding and analysis of the empire project. The impression left with the reader at the end of the two volumes is a crucial understanding of imperialism. By shifting the gaze away from Eurocentric frameworks, we are provided with a significant insight into the formation of new empires and dynasties across the globe and throughout time. Perhaps of most significance, these volumes, by placing European colonialism into a global context reveal not only its short-lived and fragile nature, but also point out that imperialism was not a recent phenomenon, in fact the impact of empire has been strong and enduring throughout history. * History: The Journal of the Historical Association * The juxtaposition of various empires makes fascinating reading. These very engaging volumes will be a delightful read for any scholars interested in the history of empires. They will also make an excellent addition to any collection as a good general study of empires and an excellent starting point for research into specific empires. Highly recommended. * CHOICE * A veritable milestone-a project bringing together the top authorities in academe for a discussion on divergence and commonality of empires across history. The dimensions here are truly global unlike the Eurocentric framework that blighted empire studies from 30 years ago. In that sense and in many other ways, this History is unsurpassed. * Explorations in World History * The resulting structure of this work not only effectively displays a remarkably consistent interdisciplinary conversation, but also facilitates the critical discussion of different approaches to the issue of 'empire'... Together, the two volumes present a useful and comprehensive state of the art of 'imperial histories', providing plenty of food for thought for scholars working in the area, and abundant material to support a more nuanced and critical understanding and teaching of a crucial and contested field, whose importance goes well beyond academic research. * The English Historical Review *