This collection investigates how the intersections of gender and sexuality served as critical sites for the construction and contestation of colonial power structures. Antoinette Burton, a prominent historian of the British Empire, curates a series of essays that examine the ways in which colonial modernities were defined by the regulation of bodies, domestic spaces, and intimate relationships. By drawing on archival research from various imperial contexts, the contributors argue that gendered and sexualized hierarchies were not peripheral to colonial governance but were central to its logic and maintenance.

Scholars in the field of imperial history and gender studies frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intimate dimensions of colonial rule. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous analytical framework for students and researchers alike.