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Empires

A Historical and Political Sociology
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Empires, Krishan Kumar offers a compelling exploration of the political form of empires throughout recorded history. The book addresses fundamental questions about how empires function, their relationship to nation-states, and the dynamics between rulers and the ruled. Kumar analyses major empires including ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean, Islamic, European overseas, and the long-standing Chinese Empire. This wide-ranging study illuminates the principles that govern empires, their trajectories, and their modern-day relevance, helping readers better understand contemporary global politics.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for scholars and students of history, political science, and international relations, as well as general readers interested in the rise and fall of empires and their contemporary significance.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Empires have been the commonest form of political organization for most of recorded history. How should we best understand them? What are their principles, and how do they differ from other political forms, such as the nation-state? What sort of relations between rulers and ruled do they express? Do they, as many have held, follow a particular course of "rise, decline, and fall"? How and why do empires end, and with what consequences? Is the era of empire over?

This book explores these questions through a fascinating analysis of the major empires of world history and the present. It pays attention not just to the modern overseas empires of the Europeans, but also to the ancient empires of the Middle East and Mediterranean, the Islamic empires of the Arabs, Mughals, and Ottomans, and the two-thousand-year Chinese Empire. As Kumar shows, understanding empires helps us understand better the politics of our own times.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as "an invaluable contribution" by the Times Literary Supplement, the book is described as "fluent, authoritative and blessed with enormous range" by John A. Hall of McGill University. David Armitage of Harvard University calls it "the most comprehensive and illuminating survey" on the topic, a "miracle of synthesis and compression." George Lawson from Australian National University highlights Kumar's bold claim that empires may shape a post-national future, recognising the book's sharp argument and extensive historical evidence.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509528356

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 November 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 150.0mm

Height: 224.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Krishan KumarΒ is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia.

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