Module description
The theory of empire and the practice of imperialism have had a major influence on the course of global history, carrying European political and philosophical concepts to the non-European world and causing non-European politics and history to be interpreted according to European epistemologies and historiographies. Although formal imperial politics faded in the twentieth century, in the contemporary world we are witnessing a revived interest in the nature and practice of empire and imperialism. This module investigates the meaning of “empire” and “imperialism” in three phases. First, the module examines how empire has been imagined according to different schools of thought, resulting in very different versions of imperialism. Second, the module traces how the concept of “empire” emerged in medieval European political philosophy as a specific theory of the West’s self-anointed right and responsibility to shape the world in its own image. Third, the module examines how this theory was used to justify imperialism from the Columbian Epoch onwards, examining how imperialist political activity resulted in political philosophies that were very different, but which all resulted in European dominance of the world. In the final two lectures, the module examines how historical understandings and manifestations of empire have underpinned the global order of the early twenty-first century, and how “empire” may have returned in the form of the EU.
Please note that module information is provisional and may change year to year.
Assessment details
1x 4,000 word essay
Educational aims & objectives
Empire is one of the most frequently used, but poorly understood, concepts in politics. This course gives students an advanced understanding in historical and political interpretations and manifestations of empire and imperialism, focusing on the development of “empire” not as a taxonomy of state but as a fluid discourse specific to European political philosophy. The module equips students with the skills to critically analyse the creation, communication, performance and reproduction of imperial concepts in European political thought, how these theories were used to justify the expansion of European political systems into the non-European world, and how the theory of “empire” was used to interpret non-European history and political systems. It introduces students to the ideas of key theorists and philosophers of empire and political practices associated with empire and imperialism. Students will trace the development of the imperial discourse in European political philosophy from Republican Rome through the Early and High Middle Ages, the Early Modern period, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and finally the re-emergence of “empire” in the form of the European Union.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module students will:- Demonstrate knowledge of the history, evolution and current state in the studyand research of empire and imperialism.- Have competence to critically engage with contemporary theories of empire and primary source documents from diverse eras in European intellectual thought, and apply critical skills to modern claims of imperialism.- Have the ability to identify and analyse the main influences on the development of “empire” as a theory of universal rule, and how the theory was used to legitimise rule and expansion within and beyond Europe from Antiquity to the twenty-first century.- Demonstrate knowledge of the reasoning, principles, aims, goals and instruments of European sovereigns and policymakers to implement systems of universal rule, and the consequences thereof.- Have the ability to engage in the comparative study of different political, historiographical, and economic theories on empire.- Critically evaluate the relationship between sovereignty, legitimacy, exclusive rule, universalism and hierarchies of identity and alterity in historical empires and the modern European Union.
Teaching pattern
Two hours per week, one lecture and one seminar
Provisional teaching schedule
Week 1: The Legacies of Empire
Week 2: Theories of Empire and Imperialism
Week 3: Rome: Imperium
Week 4: New Rome: the Translatio Imperii
Week 5: Medieval Empire: De Monarchia
Week 6: The Columbian Era: Empires of Liberty?
Week 7: The European World: Mission Civilisatrice Civilisatrice
Week 8: End of Empire?: Reich and Retreat
Week 9: Contemporary Empires: Renovatio Imperii Imperii
Week 10: The Imperial Future