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The series aims at publishing works operating at the intersections of political theory, intellectual and conceptual history, and empirically dense socio-economic and political analyses of power. The works published in this series will place particular emphasis on the transregional – transimperial, transnational, transcultural – and the transtemporal orientation of political concepts and practices of power, with a special focus on idioms of rulership, political normativity and order, as well as subversion and rebellion against such regimes.
European expansion began in the early modern period, but in the 18th century Europeans were still far from establishing their rule in Africa or Asia. Many attempts at expansion failed miserably. Nevertheless, the belief in European supremacy and civilizing charisma was consolidated. This study examines the reasons for these unrealistic plans and shows how a gap developed between imperial aspirations and the reality of intercultural encounters. Using the history of French attempts at expansion in Madagascar as an example, it analyses the unfolding of colonial fantasy, the production of bureaucratic knowledge and the role of the Enlightenment in the development of colonialism.
The Roman foundation myth has been the subject of classical scholarship for centuries. But much in the story of Romulus and Remus remains unexplained.
This is the first English language book-length study of the Lupercalia, a religious festival central to understanding both the Roman foundation myth and the history of Rome. The festival of the Lupercalia was a male initiation ritual and shares a number of traits with similar rituals across the world. The agonistic elements in the story of Romulus and Remus and the Lupercalia can be compared to a number of Vedic rituals and traced back to a common Indo-European prehistory. The Lupercalia celebration remained a central annual event throughout the history of Rome and reflected political and social life in the city. Caesar used it to stage a refusal of kingship and Augustus restored its initiatory aspect, which continued in the period of the Empire. It survived all attempts of Christian prohibition to appear in the form of a carnival that criticized the pope in the late 5th century.
In sum, the book offers a new interpretation of the Roman foundation myth and the Lupercalia. It follows the transformation of a unique ritual from its Indo-European roots through Roman history to late antiquity.
How did an Indian game meant to teach the process of rebirth change into the children’s race-game, Snakes and Ladders? Why does the Bengali language use Dutch loan-words for the suits of cards? How do the rules of Chess change in India and Europe? The answers to these and other related questions can be obtained after examining in depth the relationship of colonialism to boardgames. Focusing on Indian boardgames and their European versions, this book explores how the Empire’s games has had a signal effect on identity and culture in the formerly colonized countries of the Global South.