Abstract
Transimperial history is a vibrant emerging field that is rapidly maturing. However, for it to be-
come a distinct approach, it requires more than just momentum; it needs its own method-
ology—something transimperial history is still lacking. This article proposes the transimperial
prism as an analytic tool to address this gap. A prism refracts the seemingly uniform narratives
of single empires into a spectrum of shared practices, revealing how empires were inextricably
linked through connectivity, cooperation, and competition. It centers mechanisms of power
over “flows” and rethinks historical directionality, rejecting teleological narratives of globaliza-
tion. Addressing the question of whether transimperial history is “the new global,” we argue
that it is not a replacement but a necessary complement responding to the current “crisis of the
global” and the resurgence of imperial thinking.