Progress, pluralism, and politics liberalism and colonialism, past and present / David Williams.

Author/creator Williams, David, 1969-
Format Electronic
Publication InfoMontreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2020.
Descriptionxvi, 190 pages ; 23 cm.
Supplemental ContentFull text available from Ebook Central - Academic Complete
Subjects

SeriesMcGill-Queen's studies in the history of ideas ; 79
McGill-Queen's studies in the history of ideas ; 79. ^A664133
Contents Adam Smith on Politics, Progress, and Judgement -- Immanuel Kant on Universal Right, Universal History, and the European State -- Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism, and Empire -- L.T. Hobhouse, 'New Liberalism', and the 'New Imperialism' -- Liberalism and Colonialism Past and Present.
Abstract "Liberal thinkers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were alert to the political costs and human cruelties involved in European colonialism, but they also thought that European expansion held out progressive possibilities. In Progress, Pluralism, and Politics David Williams examines the colonial and anti-colonial arguments of Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, and L.T. Hobhouse. Williams locates their ambivalent attitude towards European conquest and colonial rule in a set of tensions between the impact of colonialism on European states, the possibilities of progress in distant and diverse places, and the relationship between universalism and cultural pluralism. In so doing he reveals some of the central ambiguities that characterize the ways that liberal thought has dealt with the reality of an illiberal world. Of particular importance are appeals to various forms of universal history, attempts to mediate between the claims of identity and the reality of difference, and the different ways of thinking about the achievement of liberal goods in other places. Pointing to key elements in still ongoing debates within liberal states about how they should relate to illiberal places, Progress, Pluralism, and Politics enriches the discussion on political thought and the relationship between liberalism and colonialism."-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Other formsIssued also in electronic format.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
Terms of useCurrent Copyright Fee: GBP22.50 0.
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 2020448285
ISBN9780228004080 hardcover
ISBN022800408X hardcover
ISBN9780228004097 paperback
ISBN0228004098 paperback
ISBNepub
ISBNepdf

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