Designs on Empire : America's Rise to Power in the Age of European Imperialism

In the eyes of both contemporaries and historians, the United States became an empire in 1898. By taking possession of Cuba and the Philippines, the nation seemed to have reached a watershed moment in its rise to power―spurring arguments over whether it should be a colonial power at all. However, the questions that emerged in the wake of 1898 built on long-standing and far-reaching debates over America’s place in the world. Andrew Priest offers a new understanding of the roots of American empire that foregrounds the longer history of perceptions of European powers. He traces the development of American thinking about European imperialism in the years after the Civil War, before the United States embarked on its own overseas colonial projects. __Designs on Empire__ examines responses to Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico, Spain and the Ten Years’ War in Cuba, Britain’s occupation of Egypt, and the carving up of Africa at the Berlin Conference. Priest shows how observing and interacting with other empires shaped American understandings of the international environment and their own burgeoning power. He highlights ambivalence among American elites regarding empire as well as the prevalence of notions of racial hierarchy. While many deplored the way powerful nations dominated others, others saw imperial projects as the advance of civilization, and even critics often felt a closer affinity with European imperialists than colonized peoples. A wide-ranging book that blends intellectual, political, and diplomatic history, __Designs on Empire__ sheds new light on the foundations of American power. Amid The Turmoil Of The Ming-qing Dynastic Transition In Seventeenth-century China, Some Intellectuals Sought Refuge In Romantic Memories From What They Perceived As Cataclysmic Events. This Volume Presents Two Memoirs By Famous Men Of Letters, Reminiscences Of The Plum Shadows Convent By Mao Xiang (1611-93) And Miscellaneous Records Of Plank Bridge By Yu Huai (1616-96), That Recall Times Spent With Courtesans. They Evoke The Courtesan World In The Final Decades Of The Ming Dynasty And The Aftermath Of Its Collapse. Mao Xiang Chronicles His Relationship With The Courtesan Dong Bai, Who Became His Concubine Two Years Before The Ming Dynasty Fell. His Mournful Remembrance Of Their Life Together, Written Shortly After Her Early Death, Includes Harrowing Descriptions Of Their Wartime Sufferings As Well As Idyllic Depictions Of Romantic Bliss. Yu Huai Offers A Group Portrait Of Nanjing Courtesans, Mixing Personal Memories With Reported Anecdotes. Writing Fifty Years After The Fall Of The Ming, He Expresses A Deep Nostalgia For Courtesan Culture That Bears The Toll Of Individual Loss And National Calamity. Together, They Shed Light On The Sensibilities Of Late Ming Intellectuals: Their Recollections Of Refined Pleasures And Ruminations On The Vagaries Of Memory Coexist With Political Engagement And A Belief In Bearing Witness. With An Introduction And Extensive Annotations, Plum Shadows And Plank Bridge Is A Valuable Source For The Literature Of Remembrance, The Representation Of Women, And The Social Role Of Intellectuals During A Tumultuous Period In Chinese History-- Introduction. Courtesans In Chinese History -- Writing About Courtesans -- Note On Translation -- Reminiscences Of The Plum Shadows Convent / Mao Xiang -- Miscellaneous Records Of Plank Bridge / Yu Huai -- Two Famous Courtesans. By Mao Xiang And Yu Huai ; Translated And Edited By Wai-yee Li. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In the eyes of both contemporaries and historians, the United States became an empire in 1898. By taking possession of Cuba and the Philippines, the nation seemed to have reached a watershed moment in its rise to power--spurring arguments over whether it should be a colonial power at all. However, the questions that emerged in the wake of 1898 built on long-standing and far-reaching debates over America's place in the world. Andrew J. Priest offers a new understanding of the roots of American empire that foregrounds the longer history of perceptions of European powers. He traces the development of American thinking about European imperialism in the years after the Civil War, before the United States embarked on its own overseas colonial projects. Designs on Empire examines responses to Napoleon III's intervention in Mexico, Spain and the Ten Years' War in Cuba, Britain's occupation of Egypt, and the carving up of Africa at the Berlin Conference. Priest shows how observing and interacting with other empires shaped American understandings of the international environment and their own burgeoning power. He highlights ambivalence among American elites regarding empire as well as the prevalence of notions of racial hierarchy. While many deplored the way powerful nations dominated others, others saw imperial projects as the advance of civilization, and even critics often felt a closer affinity with European imperialists than colonized peoples. A wide-ranging book that blends intellectual, political, and diplomatic history, Designs on Empire sheds new light on the foundations of American power. "Amid the turmoil of the Ming-Qing dynastic transition in seventeenth-century China, some intellectuals sought refuge in romantic memories from what they perceived as cataclysmic events. This volume presents two memoirs by famous men of letters, Reminiscences of the Plum Shadows Convent by Mao Xiang (1611-93) and Miscellaneous Records of Plank Bridge by Yu Huai (1616-96), that recall times spent with courtesans. They evoke the courtesan world in the final decades of the Ming dynasty and the aftermath of its collapse. Mao Xiang chronicles his relationship with the courtesan Dong Bai, who became his concubine two years before the Ming dynasty fell. His mournful remembrance of their life together, written shortly after her early death, includes harrowing descriptions of their wartime sufferings as well as idyllic depictions of romantic bliss. Yu Huai offers a group portrait of Nanjing courtesans, mixing personal memories with reported anecdotes. Writing fifty years after the fall of the Ming, he expresses a deep nostalgia for courtesan culture that bears the toll of individual loss and national calamity. Together, they shed light on the sensibilities of late Ming intellectuals: their recollections of refined pleasures and ruminations on the vagaries of memory coexist with political engagement and a belief in bearing witness. With an introduction and extensive annotations, Plum Shadows and Plank Bridge is a valuable source for the literature of remembrance, the representation of women, and the social role of intellectuals during a tumultuous period in Chinese history"-- Provided by publisher "In the eyes of both contemporaries and historians, the United States became an empire in 1898. By taking possession of Cuba and the Philippines, the nation seemed to have reached a watershed moment in its rise to power-spurring arguments over whether it should be a colonial power at all. However, the questions that emerged in the wake of 1898 built on long-standing and far-reaching debates over America's place in the world. Andrew J. Priest offers a new understanding of the roots of American empire that foregrounds the longer history of perceptions of European powers. He traces the development of American thinking about European imperialism in the years after the Civil War, before the United States embarked on its own overseas colonial projects. Designs on Empire examines responses to Napoleon III's intervention in Mexico, Spain and the Ten Years' War in Cuba, Britain's occupation of Egypt, and the carving up of Africa at the Berlin Conference. Priest shows how observing and interacting with other empires shaped American understandings of the international environment and their own burgeoning power. He highlights ambivalence among American elites regarding empire as well as the prevalence of notions of racial hierarchy. While many deplored the way powerful nations dominated others, others saw imperial projects as the advance of civilization, and even critics often felt a closer affinity with European imperialists than colonized peoples"-- Provided by publisher