This volume examines the tumultuous changes that have occurred and are still occurring in the aftermath of European colonization of the globe from 1492 to 1947.

• Ranges widely over the major themes, regions, theories and practices of postcolonial study
• Presents original essays by the leading proponents of postcolonial study in the Americas, Europe, India, Africa, East and West Asia
• Provides clear introductions to the major social and political movements underlying colonization and decolonization, accessible histories of the literature and culture, and separate regions affected by European colonization
• Features introductory essays on the major thinkers and intellectual schools that have informed strategies of national liberation worldwide
• Offers an incisive summary of the long history and theory of modern European colonization in local detail and global scale