Corrupt Histories

An examination of the meaning and effects of corruption in 18th to 20th Century history. Corruption is a preoccupation of governments and societies across place and time, from the 18th-19th Century British, Chinese, and Iberian empires to 20th Century Nazi Germany, Russia, the United States, and India. This study offers three different perspectives on corruption. The first chapters highlight corrupt practices, taking as a point of departure a technocratic definition of corruption. The second part of the book views corruption through the lens of discourses of corruption, revealing that accusations of corruption have been employed as tools, often in the context of contestations of power. The essays in the third part of the book treat corruption as a process, taking intoaccount its causes and effects and their impact on society, economics, and politics. Contributors: JEREMY ADELMAN, VIRGINIE COULLOUDON, WILLIAM DOYLE, DIEGO GAMBETTA, NORMAN J. W. GODA, ROBERT GREGG, MICHAEL JOHNSTON, WILLIAM CHESTER JORDAN, EMMANUEL KREIKE, VINOD PAVARALA, DILIP SIMEON, PIERRE-ETIENNE WILL, DAVID WITWER, PHILIP WOODFINE William Chester Jordan is Professor of History at Princeton University; Emmanuel Kreike is Assistant Professor of African History and Director of the African Studies Program at Princeton University.