Race and Empire

General Editors: Clive Emsley and Gordon Martel

The relationship between racism and imperialism has inspired one of the most prominent debates in contemporary scholarship. The connection between race and empire resulted in some of the greatest atrocities in history and its legacy remains today. Race and Empire provides an invaluable chronological account and analysis of the contentious history of racial science and its connections with imperial expansion.

Informed by current critical theory and written in a clear and accessible manner, the book:

        explores the connections between constructions of racial difference and justifications for imperial intervention

        addresses current dilemmas generated by the legacy of empire

        asks hard questions about processes that are presumed to be natural or inevitable

        includes an overview of American expansionism a subject often neglected in comparative studies of empire

        includes material on imperial attitudes towards Muslims and Arabs and discusses the Iraqi and Palestinian Mandates.

The only broadly comparative study of modern racism and imperialism in print, Race and Empire also includes a selection of primary source documents, a Glossary of terms and a Whos Who of key figures, making it essential reading for students of world history, modern imperialism/colonialism, and the history of anthropology.

Jane Samson is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Alberta, Canada. She is the author and editor of four books on the British empire which explore questions about exploration, imperial identities, and aboriginal policy.