Summary: | "The goal of ACROSS EMPIRES is to add nuance and scope to strands of transnationalism that neglect the imperial dimensions of border-crossing histories and the imperial origins of modern globality. While embracing the fundamental premise of transnationality-the value of following historical subjects wherever they lead--this collection suggests that transnational analysis can distort the past when used too broadly, because transnationality is premised on state-to-state interactions and firmly bordered states. It is often insufficient to reflect the exchange of peoples, goods, ideas, and services across multiple empires or the layered experiences of communities within overlapping empires. The essays likewise underscore the need to provide a broad perspective on asymmetric power relations and to place the histories of particular imperial formations in the larger context of global history, which through World War II meant a world dominated by imperial powers. The essays were crafted after the Brexit referendum and during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and its aftershocks. These events were, in part, products of the imperial entanglements that have given modern globalization its distinctive form: economic inequality; ethnic, racial, gender, and cultural tensions; immigration; and geopolitical rivalries. In this age of conflict over the terms of global integration, it is fruitful to reassess imperial inheritances."--Provided by publisher.
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