Regional Editors: John Beverley, Charles Forsdick, Pierre-Phillipe Fraiture, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lars Jensen, Birthe Kundrus, Elizabeth Monasterios, Phillip Rothwell

This is the first reference guide to the political, cultural and economic histories that form the subject-matter of postcolonial literatures written in European languages. The focus of the Companion is principally on the histories of postcolonial literatures that have their provenance in the major European Empires-–France, Germany, Holland, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark and Spain—and in the worlds of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. There are also long entries discussing the literatures and histories of those further areas that can claim the title ‘postcolonial’, notably Turkey and Russia.

The Companion contains 240 entries written by more than 150 acknowledged scholars of postcolonial history and literature, and covers major events, ideas, movements, and figures in postcolonial histories. In addition to the lengthy introduction for each region, there are survey essays on anti-colonial resistance, historiography, women’s histories, and narratives and fictions of empire. The majority of the entries focus on the moment of the European countries’ expansion, exploration, and settlement overseas while demonstrating the gravity of those histories on the present. Other entries on nationalisms, ethnic struggles, migrancy, etc. deal directly with the postcolonial present. Each entry provides a summary of the historical event or topic, as well as bibliographies of postcolonial literary works and histories for further reading. Extensive cross-references and indexes enable readers to locate particular literary texts in their relevant historical contexts, as well as to discover related literary texts and histories in other regions with ease.

By outlining the historical contexts of postcolonial literatures, the Companion provides an important key to understanding complex contemporary debates about race, colonialism and neo-colonialism, politics, economics, culture and language. Its coverage of events, figures and movements along with political, social, and economic developments makes this indispensable reading for students, teachers and general readers alike.

List of essays:
Region introduction (3000 words)
2,500 word entries
Anti-colonial resistance
Historiography
Narratives and fictions of Empire
Women’s histories
500 word entries
Slavery/indentured labour
Colonial administrations (rather than imperial policy)
Dutch East Indies
Dutch West Indies
Dutch Antilles
New Holland
New Amsterdam
Ornage, Counts of
Verenigde Ooost-Indische Compagnie (Dutch East Indies Company)
West-Indische Compagnie (Dutch West indies Company)
Tempoe doelo
"Ethische politiek" (ethical politics, i.e. Dutch equivalent to "White Man's Burden" or mission civilisatrice)
Cultuurstelsel (special way of cultivating crops under Dutch colonisation in Indonesia)
Vrike arbeid (Free labor, oppsoite to previous term)
Indonesia
Indonesian Independence
Batavia
Moluccas/Spice Islands
Jan Piterszoon Coen
Multatuli (Edward Douwes Dekker)
Louis Couperus
Eduard du Perron
Sotan Sjahrir
Sukarno
South Africa
The Cape
Cape Town
Jan van Riebeeck
Afrikaans
Afrikaans gedagte (Idea of Africannes of Afrikaners)
Boers
Boer Wars
Apartheid
kleurlingen (coloreds)
bruinmense (almost the same as previous, but specific to South-Africa)
khoi and san (Hottentot and bushmen)
The Great Trek
Border Wars (South-Africa)
Namibia
Etienne van Heerden
Paul Kruger
Dutch in Brazil
Surinam
bosnegers (descendants of maroons in Surinam)
papiamento
creoles/sranan(tongo)
hinustani/sarnami
December murders
Cola Debrot
Edgar Cairo
Albert Helman
Oral cultures
Bilingualism