Empires Past & Present
Spring, 2006
Instructors: Clifton Crais and Mark Ravina
We are, we are told, living in an age of empire. Recently a number of learned scholars, columnists and essayists have drawn parallels between the contemporary moment of United States world power and the late nineteenth century pax Britannica. But what is the nature of the contemporary moment, and how might a close examination of empire–in theory and practice–offer a history of the present?
Empires: Past and Present will focus on empires from the ancient to the modern world, including Roman, Mongol, Spanish, British and American. We are interested in both the theoretical understanding of imperialism and the social and cultural aspects of empire and will focus on such questions as: How do empires create both common imperial cultures and local forms of redefinition and resistance? How do empires co-opt, transform, or destroy local forms of social organization? We will explore the usefulness of "empire" as a concept for comparing historical dynamics as diverse as Mughal/Mongol rule in 13th century North India, Spanish rule in 16th century Meso-America, and British rule in 20th century Africa.
The course is organized around critical discussion of major published writings on the theory and history of empire and, crucially, an engagement with works in progress presented by guest faculty conducting pioneering research on imperialism. These meetings, unfolding throughout the semester, will each focus on a pre-circulated paper by the visiting faculty member.