Welcome to the History of Colonialism and Imperialism!

This course seeks to understand the ways in which colonial and imperial relationships have affected individuals, societies, states, global economies, and ideologies from the seventeenth century to the present. We take a truly global approach, exploring not only European and American colonies, but also those from all over the world from the seventeenth century to the present day. Despite this global approach, a primary concern in this course is how ordinary people experienced colonial rule, and especially how they responded to it. We do this through primary sources as we balance these with narrative overviews of times and places. Themes that recur repeatedly include sexuality and gender, race and racism, violence, and resistance. And although our approach is eclectic, the structure of the course seeks to show both basic commonalities between the experience of colonialism as well as nuances and differences between colonial projects over time and by colonial power. This course includes a specific focus on resistance, memorialization, and decolonization, as well.