From the conquistadores in Central and South America to the Jesuits in China, Edmondo F. Lupieri traces the consequences of European war and conquest for global cultural identities from the age of exploration to the present. His animated and comprehensive historical-sociological study masterfully weaves together a tapestry of ideas, individuals, and people groups, linking them throughout to present-day realities in often surprising ways. In the process, he exposes the economic, political, and religious justifications and motivations behind the European conquests and uncovers some of the historical roots of genocide, racism, and "just war." Unflinchingly critical, Lupieri shows how European-indigenous encounters shaped Christianity - and the world - irrevocably.