Lessons of Empire

Imperial Histories and American Power

Edited by Craig Calhoun, Frederick Cooper, and Kevin W. Moore

Project coordinated by the Social Science Research Council

paperback

$19.95 / £12.99

In the shadow of America’s recent military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, distinguished historians of empires and noted international relations specialists consider the dirty word “empire” in the face of contemporary political reality. Is “empire” a useful way to talk about America’s economic, cultural, political, and military power?

This final volume in the Social Science Research Council “After September 11” series examines what the experience of past empires tells us about the nature and consequences of global power. How do the goals and circumstances of the United States today compare to classical imperialist projects of rule over others, whether for economic exploitation or in pursuit of a “civilizing mission”?

Reviewing the much contested history of domination by Western colonizing powers, Lessons of Empire asks what lessons the history of these empires can teach us about the world today.

Craig Calhoun is president of the Social Science Research Council, Professor of Social Sciences at New York University, and the author of the prize–winning book Neither Gods Nor Emperors. Frederick Cooper is Professor of History at New York University and author of ten books, including Colonialism in Question. Both live in New York City. Kevin W. Moore is Associate Dean for Research at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He is co-editor of Critical Views of September 11 (The New Press). He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.