Colonialism: A Global History interprets colonialism as an unequal relationship characterized by displacement and domination and reveals the ways in which this relationship has been constitutive of global modernity.

The volume focuses on colonialism's dynamism, adaptability, and resilience. It appraises a number of successive global colonial 'waves', each constituting a specific form of colonial domination, each different from the previous ones, each affecting different locales at different times, and each characterized by a particular method of exploiting colonized populations and territories. Outlining a succession of distinct colonizing conjunctures, and the ways in which they 'washed over' what is today understood as the 'Global South', shaping and reshaping institutions and prompting diverse responses from colonized communities, Colonialism: A Global History also outlines the contemporary relevance of this unequal relation. Overall, it provides an original definition of colonialism and tells the global history of this mode of domination’s evolution and reach.

The broad chronological and geographical scope makes this volume the ideal resource for all students and scholars interested in globalization, colonialism, and empire.