'Combining the Annales school and the postcolonial thought with some Marxist concepts, clash of civilizations, and globalization inspirations, Blomkvist (Gotland Univ. College) produces a truly original approach to understanding the confrontation of an expansive and confident Western society with the older, Eastern-oriented, technologically backward, and diverse societies of the Baltic. .. Highly recommended. Advanced students and researchers.'W.L.Urban, Choice, 2005.