Introduction: Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era: Towards a Global Perspective

Ronald Kroeze (1) , Pol Dalmau (2) , Frédéric Monier (3, 4)

1 VU - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam [Amsterdam]
2 University Pompeu Fabra
3 LAMES - Laboratoire méditerranéen de sociologie
4 CNELIAS - Centre Norbert Elias

Scandal, corruption, exploitation and abuse of power have been linked to the history of modern empire-building. Colonial territories often became promised lands where individuals sought to make quick fortunes, sometimes in collaboration with the local population but more often at the expense of them. On some occasions, these shady dealings resulted in scandals that reached back to the metropolis, questioning civilising discourses in parliaments and the press, and leading to reforms in colonial administrations. This book is a first attempt to discuss the topic of corruption, empire and colonialism in a systematic manner and from a global comparative perspective. It does so through a set of original studies that examines the multi-layered nature of corruption in four different empires (Great Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and France) and their possessions in Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.

Keywords: Corruption; Global history; Comparative history; Colonialism; Empire

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences

Ronald Kroeze, Pol Dalmau, Frédéric Monier. Introduction: Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era: Towards a Global Perspective. Corruption, Empire and Colonialism in the Modern Era, Springer, pp.1-19, 2021, Palgrave Studies in Comparative Global History, 978-981-16-0254-2. ⟨10.1007/978-981-16-0255-9_1⟩. ⟨halshs-04031961⟩