Miel Groten is a historian of modern colonial history, whose research areas include imperialism’s impact on European countries, its relation to architecture, and the role of transnational entanglements. He has previously worked as researcher and lecturer at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and as Johan Huizinga Fellow at the Rijksmuseum.

"This is a good and, in many respects, trailblazing book. It is full of astute and insightful analysis, by an author who has clearly done a great deal of research. Therefore, what we do get is scholarly and authoritative, written in clear and lucid prose."-G. A. Bremner, Fabrications, issue 3, 2024

• List of figures Abbreviations Introduction. The places of empire Chapter 1. Gates to the ‘heathen world’ Part I. Mission houses, religion, and the civilising mission Part II. The Missionshaus in Basel Chapter 2. Imperial cities, imperial citizens Part I. Imperial identities in government- and public buildings Part II. The City Chambers in Glasgow Chapter 3. The cultural effects of economic entanglements Part I. Factories and industries in imperial culture Part II. The rice mills in the Zaan region Chapter 4. Business palaces to rule the waves Part I. Maritime ambitions in shipping line offices Part II. The HAPAG head office in Hamburg Chapter 5. Propaganda and science in imperial museums Part I. Ethnographic and colonial museums Part II. The Musée des Colonies in Paris Conclusion Figures Bibliography Index