Legacies of empire : imperial roots of the contemporary global order

The nation-state is a fairly recent historical phenomenon. Human history over the past two to four millennia has been dominated by empires, and the legacies of these empires continues to shape the contemporary world in ways that are not always recognised or fully understood. Much research and writing about European colonial empires has focused on relations between them and their colonies. This book examines the phenomenon of empire from a different perspective. It explores the imprint that imperial institutions, organisational principles, practices, and logics have left on the modern world. It shows that many features of the contemporary world - modern armies, multiculturalism, globalised finance, modern city-states, the United Nations - have been profoundly shaped by past empires. It also applies insights about the impact of past empires to contemporary politics and considers the long-term institutional legacies of the American 'empire'. Political Military Legacies Of Empire In World Politics / Tarak Barkawi -- The Second British Empire And The Re-emergence Of Global Finance / Ronen Palan -- Imperial City States, National States And Post-national Spatialities / Sandra Halperin -- The Legacy Of Eurasian Nomadic Empires : Remnants Of The Mongol Imperial Tradition / Iver B. Neumann And Einar Wigen -- The Modern Roots Of Feudal Empires : The Donatary Captaincies And The Legacies Of The Portuguese Empire In Brazil / Benjamin De Carvalho -- Imperial Legacies In The Un Development Programme And The Un Development System / Craig N. Murphy -- Foreign Bases, Sovereignty And National Building After Empire : The United States In Comparative Perspective / Alexander Cooley -- Empire, Capital And A Legacy Of Endogenous Multiculturalism / Herman Mark Schwartz -- The Assemblage Of American Imperium : Hybrid Power, World War And World Government(ality) In The Twenty-first Century / Ronnie D. Lipschutz. Edited By Sandra Halperin And Ronen Palan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Structures and practices associated with past empires continue to shape the contemporary world in surprising ways. Modern armies, multiculturalism, globalised finance, modern city-states, and the United Nations are grounded in or shaped by the legacies of past empires. This book also considers the likely legacies of the current American 'empire'. This Book Reveals How The Structures And Practices Of Past Empires Interact With And Shape Contemporary 'national' Ones.