. . . a pioneer reconnaissance of the notion of colonial identity in the post-Columbian world.--B. W. Higman, The Journal of American History It is these creoles, colonials' as opposed to the colonised, ' who form the subjects of Canny and Pagden's intelligent new book. In its compact pages we watch the {colonials} attempting to work out who' and just how new/old' they were during centuries unhaunted by the spectre of nationalism.--Benedict Anderson, London Review of Books The prolonged death throes of Europe's last overseas empires have stimulated a lively historical interest in the roots of decolonialization. The theme is taken up in this elegantly written and admirably edited volume in which Nicholas Canny and Anthony Pagden bring together a team of specialists to examine how, in the major Atlantic empires prior to the independence movements of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, colonies came to see themselves as possessing their own particular characteristics, and the bearing this had on those revolutions. . . . The editors and contributors are to be congratulated on this rich and rewarding book, essential reading for anyone interested in imperial history.--Geoffrey Scammell, The Times Higher Education Supplement

In a provocative study on comparative empire, noted historians identify periods of transition across history that reveal how and why empires emerge. Loren J. Samons on Athens and Arthur Eckstein on Rome examine classical Western empires. Nicholas Canny discusses the British experience, Paul Bushkovitch analyzes the case of imperial Russia, and Pamela Kyle Crossley studies Qing China s beginnings. Frank Ninkovich tackles the actions of the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, which many view as imperial behavior.

What were the critical characteristics that distinguished the imperial period of the state from its pre-imperial period? When did the state develop those characteristics sufficiently to be called an empire? The authors indicate the domestic political, social, economic, or military institutions that made empire formation possible and address how intentional the transition to empire was. They investigate the actions that drove imperial consolidation and consider the international environment in which the empire formed. Kimberly Kagan provides a concluding essay that probes the historical cases for insights into policymaking and the nature of imperial power.

Imagining Ireland's Pasts describes how various authors addressed the history of early modern Ireland over four centuries and explains why they could not settle on an agreed narrative. It shows how conflicting interpretations broke frequently along denominational lines, but that authors were also influenced by ethnic, cultural, and political considerations, and by whether they were resident in Ireland or living in exile. Imagining Ireland's Past: Early Modern Ireland through the Centuries details how authors extolled the merits of their progenitors, offered hope and guidance to the particular audience they addressed, and disputed opposing narratives. The author shows how competing scholars, whether contributing to vernacular histories or empirical studies, became transfixed by the traumatic events of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as they sought to explain either how stability had finally been achieved, or how the descendants of those who had been wronged might secure redress.

Richard Boyle (1566 1643) is recognised more for the achievements of his children than for his own accomplishments. But in his own lifetime his advancement from an obscure Kentish background to become the wealthiest English landowner of his generation was a matter of the greatest interest and curiosity; all the more so because Boyle matched his economic success with the attainment of an Irish peerage, membership of the English privy council and marriage alliances with some of the more notable families in England and Ireland. This book explains how this phenomenal social feat was achieved, discusses how English society responded to Boyle's advancement and details how Boyle rationalised his elevation to himself, to his children and to the world at large. Richard Boyle was also the father of an extraordinarily large and extremely talented family, and a close study of his diary and voluminous correspondence has shed considerable light on the rearing and education of his children.

This pioneering study is the first to examine all the English settlements attempted in Ireland during the years 1580-1650. The author looks at the arguments in favour of a 'plantation' policy and Irish responses to it in practice. He places what happened in Ireland in the context of events in England, Scotland, Continental Europe, and England's Atlantic colonies.

This pioneering study is the first to examine all the English settlements attempted in Ireland during the years 1580-1650. The author looks at the arguments in favour of a "plantation" policy and Irish responses to it in practice. He places what happened in Ireland in the context of events in England, Scotland, Continental Europe, and England's Atlantic colonies.

Volume I of the Oxford History of the British Empire explores the origins of empire. It shows how and why England, and later Britain, became involved with transoceanic navigation, trade, and settlement during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The chapters, by leading historians, both illustrate the interconnections between developments in Europe and overseas and offer specialist studies on every part of the world that was substantially affected by British colonial activity. As late as 1630, involvement with regions beyond the traditional confines of Europe was still tentative; by 1690 it had become a firm commitment.

The Oxford History of the British Empire is a major new assessment of the Empire in the light of recent scholarship and the progressive opening of historical records. It deals with the interaction of British and non-western societies from the Elizabethan era to the late twentieth century, aiming to provide a balanced treatment of the ruled as well as the rulers, and to take into account the significance of the Empire for the peoples of the British Isles.

The essays in this volume provide a comprehensive overview of Atlantic history from c.1450 to c.1850, offering a wide-ranging and authoritative account of the movement of people, plants, pathogens, products, and cultural practices-to mention some of the key agents--around and within the Atlantic basin. As a result of these movements, new peoples, economies, societies, polities, and cultures arose in the lands and islands touched by the Atlantic Ocean, while others were destroyed.
The team of scholars in this volume seek to describe, explain, and, occasionally, challenge conventional wisdom concerning these path-breaking developments. They demonstrate connections, explore contrasts, and probe themes. During the four centuries encompassed by this collection, pan-Atlantic webs of association emerged that progressively linked people, objects, and beliefs across and within the region. Events in one corner of the Atlantic world had effects, reverberations thousands of miles away. The great virtue of thinking in Atlantic terms is that it encourages broad perspectives, unexpected comparisons, trans-national orientations, and expanded horizons; the parochialism that characterizes so much history writing and instruction today, as in the past, has a chance of being overcome.