Introduction: Old (Patrimonial) Political Forms Made New

Scholarly and popular interest in empire has expanded dramatically in recent years. Some scholars seek fresh ways of understanding the evolution and dispersion of a form of power much older than the modern nation state. Others see empire, not long ago assumed to be a mode of governance on the way out, as having a surprising new lease on life. And many wonder about the implications for today’s world and the future roles of imperial powers, their dependencies and antagonists.

This volume engages directly with these preoccupations and affiliated debates, and in an original and we hope instructive way. First, the volume foregrounds social theory – especially the continuing vitality of the legacy of Max Weber – as a tool with which to interpret the historical and global range of imperial politics and colonial state formation. Weber developed the concept of patrimonialism (1922/1978, 1997) – which he often contrasted with rational-legal bureaucracy – to explore political systems in which rulers exert power on the basis of family and kinship ties, patron-client relations and chains of personal allegiances, with few formal rules and regulations. All the authors who have contributed to this volume find Weber’s concept useful, an illuminating if imperfect guide to imperial and colonial politics in multiple, increasingly interconnected, parts of the world.