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What does it mean for the social sciences to take colonialism seriously – not just as an issue of the past, but in terms of its continuing consequences in the present? While calls to decolonize the curriculum are increasing, few resources show what this means in terms of the everyday categories and concepts of the social sciences. This textbook addresses that gap by rethinking key themes—migration, citizenship, inequality, and the environment—through a critical engagement with colonial histories.
Developed from the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project (CSCP) and written by scholars committed to transforming their teaching and research, the book challenges long-standing assumptions and provides practical, classroom-ready resources. It enables teachers and students to approach familiar topics from new angles, opening space for more rigorous and inclusive debates.
Pedagogical and distinctive features include:
• Structured chapters with learning objectives, summaries, discussion questions, and reading lists;
• Thematic case studies that complement conceptual chapters;
• Links to rich digital resources, including videos and teaching tools from CSCP, Global Social Theory, and Discover Society;
• Ready-made materials adaptable for undergraduate and sixth-form teaching.
Together, they make an essential guide for anyone seeking to broaden the scope and depth of social science education.
Gurminder K. Bhambra is Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Sussex.
Ipek Demir is Professor of Diaspora Studies at the University of Leeds.
Paul Robert Gilbert is Reader in Development, Justice and Inequality at the University of Sussex.
Su-ming Khoo is Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Sociology at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Lucy Mayblin is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sheffield.
Introduction: The Making of the Modern World: Colonialism and Empire - Gurminder K Bhambra, Ipek Demir, Paul Gilbert, Su-Ming Khoo, and Lucy Mayblin
PART 1: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD - Gurminder K Bhambra
1. The Haitian Revolution in the Making of the Modern World - Gurminder K Bhambra
2. Understanding the Colonial Global Economy - Paul Robert Gilbert
3. Colonial Extraction and Dispossession - Su-Ming Khoo
4. Enslavement, Indenture, and Resistance in the British Empire - Maria del Pilar Kaladeen
5. Enclosures and the Making of Modern Britain - Imogen Tyler
6. Decolonization in the Making of the Modern World - Deanndre Chen and Meera Sabaratnam
PART 2: THE POLITICS OF INEQUALITY - Paul Gilbert
7. Class, Capitalism, and Colonialism - John Holmwood
8. The Grunwick Strike: Uncovering Migrant Women’s Contributions to Struggles for Workers’ Rights in the UK - Sundari Anitha
9. Staying Put in a Hostile Environment - Daniel Renwick
10. Exploring the Growth of ‘Emergency’ Charitable Food Aid in the UK - Kayleigh Garthwaite
11. Race, Colonialism, and Modern Slavery - Genevieve Lebaron and Dr Ali Bhagat
12. The UK’s Elite: Colonial and Transnational Dynamics - Katie Higgins
PART 3: MIGRATION, DIASPORA, AND ASYLUM - Lucy Mayblin
13. Colonialism, Immigration, and the Making of British Citizenship - James Hampshire
14. Asylum in Britain and the Legacies of Colonialism - Lucy Mayblin
15. Diasporic Interventions: How Diasporas Have Shaped Modernity and Challenged the Global North - Ipek Demir
16. Making Love, Making Empire: Family, Colonial Racism, and Border Controls - Joe Turner
17. Populism, Migration, and the Politics of Racism - Karim Murji
18. The British Migration-Citizenship Regime: From Decolonization to Brexit - Michaela Benson
PART 4: MULTICULTURALISM AND ANTI-RACISM - Ipek Demir
19. British Black Power - John Narayan
20. (Un)Archiving Black British Feminisms - Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert
21. Modes of Integration, Multiculturalism, and National Identities - Tariq Modood
22. Anxieties of Multiculturalism: The Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair - John Holmwood
23. Security and the War on Terror: Predict, Prevent, Police - Shereen Fernandez
24. Policing, Racial Capitalism, and Abolition - Vanessa Thompson
PART 5: THE ENVIRONMENT - Su-Ming Khoo
25. Connected Sociologies of Pollution - Su-Ming Khoo
26. Extractivism, Anti-extractivism, and Post-extractivism in Latin America - Andrea Sempértegui
27. A Global Green New Deal? Signatures of Continuing Colonial Violence - Harpreet Kaur Spannos
28. Political Ecology: Critical Reflections - Mitul Baruah
29. Our Worlds of Palm Oil: A Tale of Colonialism, Consumerism and Technology - Max Haiven
30. Remaking Race in the Crucible of Climate Change - Andrew Baldwin
Conclusion: Remaking the Social Sciences After Colonialism - Paul Gilbert, Gurminder K Bhambra, Ipek Demir, Su-Ming Khoo, and Lucy Mayblin
Using the Lesson Plans for the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project - Isabel Sykes