Geographies of Empire: European Empires and Colonies c.1880-1960

by Robin A. Butlin

Overview

How did the major European imperial powers and indigenous populations experience imperialism and colonisation in the period 1880-1960? In this richly-illustrated comparative account, Robin Butlin provides a comprehensive overview of the experiences of individual European imperial powers - British, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Belgian, German and Italian – and the reactions of indigenous peoples. He explores the complex processes and discourses of colonialism, conquest and resistance from the height of empire through to decolonisation and sets these within the dynamics of the globalisation of political and economic power systems. He sheds new light on variations in the timing, nature and locations of European colonisations and on key themes such as exploration and geographical knowledge; maps and mapping; demographics; land seizure and environmental modification; transport and communications; and resistance and independence movements. In so doing, he makes a major contribution to our understanding of colonisation and the end of empire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521740555
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/02/2009
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography , #42
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	692
Product dimensions:	6.89(w) x 9.72(h) x 1.22(d)

About the Author

Robin A. Butlin is Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Leeds. His previous publications include Geography and Imperialism, 1820–1940 (co-edited with M. Bell and M. Heffernan, 1995), Historical Geography: Through the Gates of Space and Time (1993), and, co-edited with R. A. Dodgshon, An Historical Geography of England and Wales (2nd edition 1990), and An Historical Geography of Europe (1998).

Table of Contents

1. Geography, imperialism and colonialism: concepts and frameworks; 2. Chronologies, spaces and places; 3. Numbers and movements of people; 4. Patterns and shadows on the land; 5. Empire, exploration and geographical knowledge; 6. Geographical societies and imperialism; 7. The mapping of empires and colonies; 8. Geographies of the 'Civilizing Mission'; 9. Environmental interactions; 10. The arteries of empire: transport and communications; 11. Towns and cities; 12. Economic geographies of empire and colony; 13. The endings of empire: decolonization; 14. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

"Overall, this is a seminal work. Essential" -Choice

"Because of its breadth, this book does work as a kind of textbook which would be of particular value for undergraduate and MA courses on the history of Empire. For that readership, it offers a solid overview of the colonial period with a particular emphasis on aspects of colonialism that fall within the parameters of what might loosely be called geography. A great deal of the literature on empire is also summarised and thoughtfully presented…this is an impressively erudite and knowledgeable book." -Michael Collins, Institute of Historical Research

"This is a book of breath-taking scale that seeks to explain imperialism as a global phenomenon and through carefully chosen vignettes demonstrates its character, strengths and especially weaknesses. It should be essential reading for teachers and students of the subject." -The Historian

"Without doubt, Robin Butlin must be congratulated for having assembled a uniquely accessible comparison of Europe's imperial powers, their impact on colonial territories, and the impact of those territories on European nations." Hugh Clout, Annales de Géographie

"Geography’s tertiary-level teachers and students will derive great value from this timely reference text." -The Australian Geographer, Joseph Powell

"As one of the premier scholars in historical geography, Butlin has produced another remarkable contribution to the fields of both history and geography." - World History Bulletin

"This is a work of deep learning about and an obvious familiarity with a vast literature on the historic course of European colonialism from the medieval period to the recent past. The book is clearly organized and extremely well-written. It will pay reading by all those with even the slightest interest in the historical geography of European colonialism and its continuing effects around the world into the present day. I see little possibility any day soon of a book's appearing that will challenge this one as the essential synthetic survey of its subject." -John Agnew, Journal of Historical Geography

"...brings together the work of scholars in different fields (history, geography, anthropology) to demonstrate some of the key ideas in studying colonialism today… This volume could be used successfully as a text for a course on colonialism or decolonisation in a history or geography syllabus." -Itinerario

"the breadth of coverage is so wide that almost all readers will find a great deal that is new to them." -Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"this book has great value in the fields of geography, historical geography and colonial studies. Its clarity and breadth offers readers a uniquely geographic perspective to colonialism." -Canadian Geographer

"Butlin’s book is a masterly synthesis of an impressive body of published writing about imperialism and how it remade the world... Order this book for your Library: it is a key reference about one of the foundations of the modern world." - South African Geographical Journal

"The success of the book is strongly based on the fact that it is a summation of the lifetime work of a highly experienced scholar... It can usefully take its place on the reference shelf of all who share an interest in late 19th and 20th century imperialism." -John MacKenzie, The Round Table

"The scope of the book is impressively wide-ranging, and, in institutions where an empirical approach to history is maintained in traditional ways, the concise and easily-digestible outline of many of the key arguments about empire will be appreciated." -Angus Mitchell, Canadian Journal of History

"He succeeds, I think, in distilling a body of disparate geographical writing on empire and making it intelligible to historians. The book is one that can be fruitfully read from cover to cover or successfully dipped into." -Britain and the World

"...a readable and effective reference..." -William Kelleher Storey, Journal of World History

From the Publisher