For five centuries, colonialism and modernity have profoundly shaped the cultures of the world. This book traces these interacting long-term historical processes, and the parallel history of anti-colonial movements and ideas. It outlines the rise to global dominance of Europe since the 16th century, and the attendant modernity that shaped and defined this rise. Gillen and Ghosh show how colonialism and modernity dramatically changed the lives of the colonized peoples, the invading settlers who established overseas colonies, those who remained in Europe, and the diasporas created by invasions, slavery, indentured labor and voluntary migration.