This volume investigates the necessity of expanding the definition of modernism beyond Western-centric frameworks to encompass a truly global perspective. Editor Mark Wollaeger, a prominent scholar in modernist studies, compiles a series of essays that challenge traditional boundaries by integrating diverse geographical and cultural contexts. The text utilizes a comparative methodology to analyze how modernist aesthetics manifested across disparate regions, including Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, providing a rigorous academic framework for re-evaluating the movement's historical trajectory.

Scholars and students of literary history frequently cite this handbook as a foundational resource for de-centering Western modernism in academic curricula. Readers often note the high density of the prose and the extensive scope of the research, making it a standard reference for advanced study in the field.