Language and Culture in the Growth of Imperialism

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About the Book

Political science interpretations of international relations tend to focus on abstract terms of economic interest, domination, rights and justice. Trapped within this limited horizon, the discipline fails to explain why nations of similar economic structure would have variant ideas for their foreign policies, and why nations with different economic structures and ideologies could develop a similar global posture during certain periods of their histories.
This innovative study examines imperialism from a cultural and linguistic perspective, portraying the rise and fall of ancient Greek, Roman, medieval Islamic, modern British, Russian and American empires as a part of the natural life of world civilizations. As these imperial cultures matured through centuries of literary accumulation and interaction with other cultures, they finally found their confidence on the world stage and transitioned from an aggressive policy towards others to a more tolerant one.

About the Author(s)

Sharron Gu, the author of several books in international law, has traveled the world for thirty years to research different cultures and languages. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

Bibliographic Details

Sharron Gu
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 311
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2012
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6848-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9093-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1
Introduction      3

PART ONE: THE BIRTH OF GOLDEN BOYS       13
1. Oral and Written Language: Greek and Roman Empires      14
2. God’s Word Written and Spoken: Roman and Islamic Empires      43
3. The Words of Law: Islamic and British Empires      61
4. Letters and Voices of English: British and American Empires      95
5. Old and New Songs: Russian and American Empires      107

PART TWO: GROWING UP AND PUBERTY      121
6. Black/White Vision of the World      122
7. Inflated Self and Playing God      169
8. Exaggerated Fear and Insecurity      183

PART THREE: MARRIAGE AND MATURITY      189
9. Expanding Worldview and Sharing Self      192
10. Confidence and Tolerance      212

Chapter Notes      245
Bibliography      274
Index      302