Science Explorer Interactive view Map

Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies

Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies is a research topic within Sociology and Political Science. Science Explorer counts 2.5k research works in it since 1950. 14.5% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers explores transnational social and political movements during the colonial era, focusing on Indian nationalism, internationalism, diasporic dimensions of the Indian freedom movement, anti-imperialist activities, maritime labor, and global radicalism. It delves into the interconnectedness of colonial societies, the impact of colonialism on national identities, and the role of transnational networks in shaping historical events.

  • Transnationalism
  • Colonialism
  • Nationalism
  • Internationalism
  • Indian Freedom Movement
  • Maritime Labor
  • Anti-Imperialism
  • Diaspora
  • Global Radicalism
  • Postcolonial Societies
Research works
2.5k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
362
per year above
Top-10% rate
14.5%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+34%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research?

By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (155 and 86 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 155 works
  2. 2 United Kingdom 86 works
  3. 3 India 85 works
  4. 4 Germany 31 works
  5. 5 Canada 21 works
  6. 6 France 19 works
  7. 7 Hungary 16 works
  8. 8 Australia 15 works
  9. 9 Russia 15 works
  10. 10 China 13 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 34.0%United Kingdom: 18.9%India: 18.8%Germany: 6.8%6 others listed: 21.5%34%largest
United States155 · 34.0%United Kingdom86 · 18.9%India85 · 18.8%Germany31 · 6.8%6 others listed98 · 21.5%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research?

By volume in 2022–2025, University of Chicago publishes the most Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research, followed by University of Cambridge and University of Manchester.

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 University of Chicago United States 7 works
  2. 2 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 6 works
  3. 3 University of Manchester United Kingdom 6 works
  4. 4 University of Delhi India 5 works
  5. 5 University of Oxford United Kingdom 5 works
  6. 6 Film Independent United States 5 works
  7. 7 Jawaharlal Nehru University India 5 works
  8. 8 Ludovika University of Public Service Hungary 5 works
  9. 9 Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy Germany 4 works
  10. 10 King's College London United Kingdom 4 works

Who are the leading researchers in Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies include Jacques Derrida.

  1. 1 Jacques Derrida 1.3k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

Where is Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research done?

The largest centres of Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research in 2022–2025 are London (United Kingdom), New Delhi (India), Budapest (Hungary) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in London.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 London United Kingdom 24 works
  2. 2 New Delhi India 16 works
  3. 3 Budapest Hungary 11 works
  4. 4 Paris France 11 works
  5. 5 Moscow Russia 11 works
  6. 6 New York United States 10 works
  7. 7 Chicago United States 9 works
  8. 8 Beijing China 8 works
  9. 9 Kolkata India 8 works
  10. 10 Los Angeles United States 8 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. LondonGB · 23.7 works4.6×
← less than its size predictsmore →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies than the world average.

See Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies on the map

Is Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 34% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.