This paper briefly examines select ideas of diversity and inclusion, and their relationships to forms of control, in the Roman, Mughal, and Ottoman empires, and demonstrates some of the historical processes by which empires embrace cultural difference as a pragmatic element of their growth, stabilization, and consolidation of power. The paper argues that an administrative logic of inclusion is well-suited to moments of geographical spread and political stabilization. Finally, the paper presents some possibilities for understanding diversity and inclusion within world empires and what they can show us for discussions of diversity in the contemporary world.
About the journal: “World History Connected is designed for everyone who wants to deepen the engagement and understanding of world history: students, college instructors, high school teachers, leaders of teacher education programs, social studies coordinators, research historians, and librarians.” The journal is published by the University of Illinois Press, and its institutional home is Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, Hawaii, with partial funding from The College Board.