http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/empire Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 06 Sep 2026 20:46:10 -0400 Sun, 06 Sep 2026 20:46:10 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1942/imperial-mughal-literature-a-rich-source-of-scientific-information By Abhijit M. Bal - India was ruled by the Timurid-Mughal dynasty from 1526 to 1857. This period is mainly recognised for its art and architecture. The Timurid-Mughals also promoted knowledge and scholarship. Two of the Mughal emperors, Babur and Jahangir, wrote their memoirs. Babur’s daughter, Gulbadan Begum, composed the biography of her brother, Humayun. The imperial literature contains rich information. In this essay, I have highlighted the scientific information contained in the manuscripts. These include details of natural calamities, description of the natural world, astronomical sciences, medical sciences... Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:57 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1942/imperial-mughal-literature-a-rich-source-of-scientific-information http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1719/victorian-racism-an-explication-of-scientific-knowledge-its-social-character-and-its-relation-to-victorian-popular-culture By Peter C. - The British Empire of the nineteenth century displayed and embodied racism in its composite. In embodying this idea of racial inequality, the Empire created grounds on which it could justify the imperialist actions that it executed throughout the world during this century. Actions such as extending its power, influence, and domination to continents like Africa and Asia and imposing ‘Britishness’[1] in such places.[2] Many scholars in the existing scholarly literature have agreed on the point that racism was used as a tool of justification for imperial actions, such as Andrew Aptner... Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:31 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1719/victorian-racism-an-explication-of-scientific-knowledge-its-social-character-and-its-relation-to-victorian-popular-culture http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 By Thanapat Pekanan - The ‘civilising mission' is a broad ideology that combines four main ideals; Enlightenment ideals, Christian / Evangelical ideas of pre-destination, racist ideas about white superiority and Liberalism. All these ideals have had a significant role in our understanding of British imperialism before 1939. Due to the limitations of this essay, I will focus on two of the most relevant and important aspects of the ‘civilising mission': racism and Liberalism. This essay proceeds in three parts. The first section demonstrates how important racism was in influencing the understanding of British... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1437/how-important-is-the-notion-of-the-civilising-mission-to-our-understanding-of-british-imperialism-before-1939 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1340/from-jalaluddin-to-akbar-analyzing-the-akbarid-notion-of-kingship By Saarang Narayan - Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar is placed among the elite few in history; he is amongst the “Great”[1]. Popularly known for his liberal policies and just administration, he is remembered widely as an ideal ruler. It is almost dangerous, thus, to analyse any of his aspects of kingship–many of which are rhetoric for the masses today. His populist policies made him popular during his reign, and even today, continue to keep him alive as an epitome of leadership. It is thus an important task, I claim, to look into what it is that elevated Jalaluddin Mohammad to the status of Akbar (great... Fri, 29 Jan 2016 05:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1340/from-jalaluddin-to-akbar-analyzing-the-akbarid-notion-of-kingship http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1019/feminist-and-new-historicist-readings-of-kiplings-the-man-who-would-be-king By Kelley S. Kent - “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888)[1] is one of Rudyard Kipling’s most well known and highly acclaimed short stories. Michael Caine, Sean Connery, and Christopher Plummer starred in John Huston’s classic film adaptation (1975), which provided a testament to the story’s enduring popularity (Beckerman 180). Even when Kipling’s critical reputation suffered, “The Man Who Would Be King” continued to garner acclaim. However, because of its unsettling ambiguity, this story “resists classification” (Gilmour 37). Like the rest of misogynistic... Wed, 25 Mar 2015 11:07 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1019/feminist-and-new-historicist-readings-of-kiplings-the-man-who-would-be-king http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary By Christopher J. Kshyk - The Roosevelt Corollary, outlined in Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 and 1905 State of the Union addresses, proclaimed a new imperialist doctrine for American foreign policy in the western hemisphere and represents the culmination in the evolution of Roosevelt’s imperialist ideology. Roosevelt proclaimed the United States’ right to intervene in the internal affairs of any sovereign state in the western hemisphere if it conflicted with American interests in the region, and to resist European imperial ambitions in Central and South America, whether commercial or territorial, by force... Mon, 02 Mar 2015 05:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1002/roosevelts-imperialism-the-venezuelan-crisis-the-panama-canal-and-the-origins-of-the-roosevelt-corollary http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/817/rudyard-kiplings-literary-and-historical-legacy By Kelley S. Kent - Critical opinion of Rudyard Kipling, his imperialism, and his oeuvre has radically changed in the last century. Depending on the literary history and the time period, Kipling has been seen as either an exclusively South African poet (Warren 415), or “as little of an imperialist as Conrad” (Fowler 337). Always, however, he is a poet, novelist, and short story writer of the British Empire, whether or not critics believe Kipling supports that empire in his oeuvre. One measure of critics’ praise or censure is their critical opinion of Kim (1901). Although few think the novel has... Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:54 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/817/rudyard-kiplings-literary-and-historical-legacy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/781/propaganda-public-opinion-and-the-second-south-african-boer-war By Kelley S. Kent - The Second Boer War (1899‑1902) was costly for Great Britain and the semi‑independent South African Republic (Transvaal). It strained political relations between the British and the Boers, who did not gain independence from the United Kingdom until 1961. Political freedom and civil rights for South Africa's native population came later. What was the purpose of fighting this war? Many historians believe the Boer War was "the last of the gentleman's wars" (Krebs 55), a war to preserve the empire, but also, as seen in the mass street celebration of the relief of Mafeking on May 18, 1900... Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/781/propaganda-public-opinion-and-the-second-south-african-boer-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/760/anxieties-of-empire-examining-frontier-governance-in-19th-century-british-india By Zaib Un Nisa Aziz - In May 2012, Shakil Afridi received a sentence of thirty-three years “rigorous imprisonment” and a large fine for aiding foreign intelligence gatherers in their quest for Osama bin Laden. The Pakistani state did not charge Afridi – a doctor from the Khyber area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – under the national criminal code, where they would have risked a controversial public trial and a possible death sentence. Instead, Mohammad Nasir Khan, assistant Political Agent of Bara, Khyber Agency, announced on May 23rd, 2012 that Dr. Afridi had been tried &... Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:45 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/760/anxieties-of-empire-examining-frontier-governance-in-19th-century-british-india http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/600/comparing-the-tsarist-russian-and-soviet-empires By Magdalena Noga - Compared to other empires throughout history, the USSR was an exception. The rulers of the Soviet Union viewed empire and imperialism in ideological terms as ‘the highest and final stage of capitalism’.[1] By this Leninist definition, the Soviet Union did not identify itself as an empire, and instead, its leaders vehemently denounced imperialism that was carried out by its enemies and competitors: the capitalist states. Despite its own anguish over being identified as an empire, the Soviet Union indeed was one. While the meaning of ‘empire’ has shifted over time, for the... Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:14 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/600/comparing-the-tsarist-russian-and-soviet-empires http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/549/the-historical-jesus-what-can-we-really-learn By Melissa JL. Alvaro Mutolo - The way to gain insight into anything historical is by examining the sources but in the case of Jesus three things must be acknowledged. Firstly, all the available evidence is in literary form. Epigraphic or archaeological evidence can only give information about his assumed background but provides no information about him as man (Tuckett 2001: 121). Secondly, Jesus did not write anything himself. There are unfortunately no personal memoirs or documents and so the only sources available are of what he purportedly did and said as recorded by others (tuckett 2001:122). Finally, there are no direct... Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/549/the-historical-jesus-what-can-we-really-learn http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1660/the-reign-of-peter-the-great By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - Those reforms that had the greatest impact on the structure of society were the increase of taxation, the setting up of the Synod, the Westernization of the country and people, the bringing in of foreign experts, and the introduction of state service. Along with these, the method Peter the Great used in dealing with his rivals and enemies speaks to the same issue. The introduction of heavy taxation fell more on the shoulders of the peasants and serfs, which contributed to the aggravation of their already precarious situation: “Peter the Great’s tax legislation thus led to the final... Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:08 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1660/the-reign-of-peter-the-great http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/242/the-position-of-jews-and-christians-in-the-ottoman-empire By Yevgeniya Baraz - The position of Jewish and Christian peoples under the Ottoman Empire is an issue that continues to be disputed today, almost a century after the official end of the Empire itself. Religious association typically determined status in the predominantly Muslim Ottoman Empire. According to Moshe Ma’oz, Christians and Jews were seen as “inferior subjects or as illegitimate denominations.”[1] As a result, they were often discriminated against by the state entity. In contrast, other scholars may argue that the position of minorities under the Ottomans was lenient compared to minority... Tue, 04 May 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/242/the-position-of-jews-and-christians-in-the-ottoman-empire http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1113/still-the-good-fight-the-commonwealth-of-nations-turn-60 By Rory Lowings - Once upon a time, Britain ruled the world. Fully a quarter of the Earth’s surface and population was united under the red, white and blue of the Empire. Had the British Empire remained a sclerotic, sedentary racial hierarchy, like the contemporary French and Portuguese empires, it might have died a slow, painful death, as did they. But Britain’s development of infrastructure, both in education and industry, facilitated the growth of national identities within the Commonwealth, whose claims upon independence grew in direct proportion to British decline during the Inter-War period. 3... Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1113/still-the-good-fight-the-commonwealth-of-nations-turn-60 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/64/breaking-boundaries-football-and-colonialism-in-the-british-empire By Patrick M. Hutchison - Finally, an article by Shaun Lopez, a stunningly handsome professor at the University of Washington, shows how resistance through football manifests itself in postcolonial Egypt. “Football as National Allegory: Al-Ahram and the Olympics in 1920s Egypt” is strikingly different from the other articles which are full of evidence of how football unified communities and became a way to instill indigenous culture into a new form of resistance. Lopez seems to suggest that football in Egypt, particularly in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, was an effort to break out of the colonized mold and become... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:35 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/64/breaking-boundaries-football-and-colonialism-in-the-british-empire http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/5/decolonization-and-the-collapse-of-the-british-empire By David Pierce - Before World War II it was stated fairly, “The sun never set on the British Empire.” For decades, this was true: the British colonial Empire touched all corners of the globe. After the War concluded, however, a worldwide process of decolonization commenced in which Britain granted independence to all of its major colonies, beginning notably in India. The British decision to grant independence to India arose primarily out of necessity; however, Gandhi’s successful social movements also inspired a fundamental change in the perceptions of colonial power that eventually led to the... Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:08 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/5/decolonization-and-the-collapse-of-the-british-empire