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Patterns of Empire: The British and American Empires, 1688 to the Present
Patterns of Empire comprehensively examines the two most powerful empires in modern history: the United States and Britain. Challenging the popular theory that the American empire is unique, Patterns of Empire shows how the policies, practices, forms, and historical dynamics of the American empire repeat those of the British, leading up to the present climate of economic decline, treacherous intervention in the Middle East, and overextended imperial confidence. A critical exercise in revisionist history and comparative social science, this book also offers a challenging theory of empire that recognizes the agency of non-Western peoples, the impact of global fields, and the limits of imperial power.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2011
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About the author
Julian Go
21 books10 followersJulian Go is a Professor of Sociology and Faculty Affiliate in the Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture & The Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago.
Julian Go’s research explores the social logics, forms and impact of empires and colonialism; postcolonial/decolonial thought and related questions of social theory, epistemology, and knowledge; and global historical sociology.
Much of Go’s work has focused on the US empire. His other work is on postcolonial thought and social theory. His most recent book, Policing Empires: Militarization and Race in Britain and America, 1829-present (Oxford, 2023) explores imperialism’s impact upon police militarization in the US and Britain. He is also working on a project that recovers anticolonial thought as a critical form of social theory.
His scholarship has won prizes from the American Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society, the American Political Science Association, and the International Studies Association, among other institutions. He is the winner of Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting in Sociology given by the American Sociological Association. In 2021-2022, Julian serves as the President of the Social Science History Association.
Julian Go’s research explores the social logics, forms and impact of empires and colonialism; postcolonial/decolonial thought and related questions of social theory, epistemology, and knowledge; and global historical sociology.
Much of Go’s work has focused on the US empire. His other work is on postcolonial thought and social theory. His most recent book, Policing Empires: Militarization and Race in Britain and America, 1829-present (Oxford, 2023) explores imperialism’s impact upon police militarization in the US and Britain. He is also working on a project that recovers anticolonial thought as a critical form of social theory.
His scholarship has won prizes from the American Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society, the American Political Science Association, and the International Studies Association, among other institutions. He is the winner of Lewis A. Coser Award for Theoretical Agenda Setting in Sociology given by the American Sociological Association. In 2021-2022, Julian serves as the President of the Social Science History Association.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 10, 2020
"Patterns of Empire" is a comparative study by Julian Go that compares the American to the British Empire, whose analysis stems from the Wisconsin School of thought. In this work, he seeks to dispel exceptionalist arguments that the United States never had an empire or that its empire has been exceptional in its liberal actions towards its colonies and dependents. In this work Go demonstrates there are many similarities between the British Empire and its American counterpart, as both had many similar policies ideals. Although, the first several chapters of his work are well founded and balanced analysis his final two chapters are less well argued, indeed these chapters seem more of a political argument then an unbiased review of events. Further, Go’s determination to dispel the idea of American exceptionalism leads him to engage in economic reductivism, ignoring salient differing political and social factors, that overall harms his argument, particularly in the last two chapters. Additionally, Go downplays the real differences between the American to the British Empires in their structure and concepts. Overall this is a well written and informative work that helps to dispel some of the exceptionalist arguments that surround the American Empire and should be read by those interested in the inter-imperil connections of the Anglo-American colonial empires.
February 10, 2013
Though he mounts a devastating argument against the concept of American exceptionalism, Go's analysis of America's behavior post-WW2 is wanting.
January 16, 2023
very enjoyable bursting of the "American Exceptionalism/No US Empire" bubbles
September 11, 2012
In Patterns of Empire, Julian Go makes of a comparative study of the American and British Empires. Go rejects the American exceptionalist arguments that the United States never had an empire or that its empire has been exceptional in its liberal treatment of the colonized and its promotion of freedom and liberty. Instead, Go argues that the American Empire has been remarkably similar to the British Empire in its practice, policy, and conception.
Go builds his study around American and British hegemony. For this, Go uses the traditional Marxist understanding of hegemony, a nation powerful enough to dominate the world economy. Indeed, Go argues that the United States and Great Britain have been the only nations in the modern world powerful enough to realistically exercise hegemony. Go identifies three stages of hegemony; hegemonic ascendancy, hegemonic maturity, and hegemonic decline and argues that through each of these stages, the practice of the American and British empires have been remarkably consistent. For example, Go argues that British hegemony was enabled by its North American empire as American hegemony was enabled by its conquest, which Go labels imperialistic, of the American West.
Go's analysis has weaknesses. It is not altogether clear that the American settlement of the West should be properly understood in the context of colonialism rather than expansionist. Furthermore, the initial wave of American overseas imperialism in the late 19th century is self-consciously derivative of the British example. Perhaps the largest weakness, as Go takes pains to point out, is that a direct comparison of two societies across centuries is necessarily problematic. The United States constructed its empire in a very different cultural and geopolitical context than the British which makes a direct analysis difficult. Go's central organizing analysis is also problematic by rhw end. While the United States is a declining hegemon, it has vast reserves of military, economic, and cultural power that was unavailable to England. Indeed, England's decline as a hegemon came as a result of being superseded by another far greater power, namely the United States. For all of the fear and clamor surrounding the rise of China, it seems unlikely that the United States will face a similar decline to that of England. As a result, Go's analysis of the Iraq War, a fading and clumsy hegemon trying desperately to reassert its influence in a region, is problematic. In reality, Gilles Keppel's portrayal in War for Muslim Minds of an assertive and aggressive, albeit misguided, superpower trying to remake a region of the world is more satisfying.
In Patterns of Empire, Julian Go has created a worthwhile and useful understanding of American imperial practices.
Go builds his study around American and British hegemony. For this, Go uses the traditional Marxist understanding of hegemony, a nation powerful enough to dominate the world economy. Indeed, Go argues that the United States and Great Britain have been the only nations in the modern world powerful enough to realistically exercise hegemony. Go identifies three stages of hegemony; hegemonic ascendancy, hegemonic maturity, and hegemonic decline and argues that through each of these stages, the practice of the American and British empires have been remarkably consistent. For example, Go argues that British hegemony was enabled by its North American empire as American hegemony was enabled by its conquest, which Go labels imperialistic, of the American West.
Go's analysis has weaknesses. It is not altogether clear that the American settlement of the West should be properly understood in the context of colonialism rather than expansionist. Furthermore, the initial wave of American overseas imperialism in the late 19th century is self-consciously derivative of the British example. Perhaps the largest weakness, as Go takes pains to point out, is that a direct comparison of two societies across centuries is necessarily problematic. The United States constructed its empire in a very different cultural and geopolitical context than the British which makes a direct analysis difficult. Go's central organizing analysis is also problematic by rhw end. While the United States is a declining hegemon, it has vast reserves of military, economic, and cultural power that was unavailable to England. Indeed, England's decline as a hegemon came as a result of being superseded by another far greater power, namely the United States. For all of the fear and clamor surrounding the rise of China, it seems unlikely that the United States will face a similar decline to that of England. As a result, Go's analysis of the Iraq War, a fading and clumsy hegemon trying desperately to reassert its influence in a region, is problematic. In reality, Gilles Keppel's portrayal in War for Muslim Minds of an assertive and aggressive, albeit misguided, superpower trying to remake a region of the world is more satisfying.
In Patterns of Empire, Julian Go has created a worthwhile and useful understanding of American imperial practices.
April 6, 2016
This book is the gospel.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews