This course introduces you to the large-scale historical processes that led to the formation of colonies in various parts of the world (for eg, in the Americas, Africa and the Middle-East). You will learn to comparatively analyse the different colonial practices that developed between the 16^th and mid-20^th centuries and become familiar with the events and sites of European imperial expansion in the context of theoretical debates on imperialism and colonialism. This course aims to help you understand how the ​‘centre’ and the ​‘periphery’ emerged, exploring the debates on the industrial and scientific revolution, the development of capitalism and colonial state formation. Through an independent project, you will study colonial and imperial processes in other regions of the world such as China, Japan and Australia.