Lessons of Empire

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 the director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was formerly University Professor at NYU, the director of the Institute for Public Knowledge, and the president of the Social Science Resource Council. His books include the prizewinning Neither Gods Nor Emperors, Nations Matter, Critical Social Theory, and The Roots of Radicalism. His work has been translated into ten languages.

Frederick Cooper is Professor of History at New York University and author of ten books, including Colonialism in Question. He lives in New York City.

Kevin W. Moore is senior associate dean for faculty affairs at Duke University. He is a co-editor, with Eric Hershberg, of Critical Views of September 11: Analyses from Around the World and, with Craig Calhoun and Frederick Cooper, of Lessons of Empire: Imperial Histories and American Power (both published by The New Press). He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.