There is today a new interest in empires past and present. Scholars seek fresh ways of understanding a form of power far older than the modern nation state. Others see empire, not long ago assumed to be a mode of governance on the way out, as having a surprising new lease on life, and want to...

This book uses money as a lens through which to analyze the social and economic impact of colonialism on African societies and institutions. It is the first book to address the monetary history of the colonial period in a comprehensive way, covering several areas of the continent and different...

Chapter 1: Introduction -- Part I: Research design -- Chapter 2: Historical context -- Chapter 3: Capital and colonialism in theory -- Chapter 4: Previous research -- Chapter 5: Method and data -- Part II: Aggregate results -- Chapter 6: The rate of return on investment in Africa -- Chapter 7:...

1. ‘Where the Sandalwood Is Born’: East Timor until the Mid-Eighteenth Century -- 2. The Two Last Centuries of Portuguese Domination -- 3. The Indonesian Occupation -- 4. The Economy under Occupation -- 5. Launching a New State -- 6. Conclusions

After the abolition of slavery in the Indian Ocean and Africa, the world of labor remained unequal, exploitative, and violent, straddling a fine line between freedom and unfreedom. This book explains why. Unseating the Atlantic paradigm of bondage and drawing from a rich array of colonial,...

A colonial empire in crisis -- Empire beyond the mercantile system -- Between enslaved territories and overseas provinces -- Supplying or supplanting the Americas -- A revolutionary crescendo -- Conclusion: Ancien Regime legacies.