SUMMARY:

In his contribution to the forum Willard Sunderland raises the important question of relations between intellectual constructions in the historical profession and public knowledge about history. Focusing on the dominance of nation-centered historical narratives in the postimperial experience of Britain, France, and the United States, the author invites a discussion of the long-term legacies of imperial visions and national imperialism and suggests a comparative context for the long-term dissolution of the Soviet Union.