▁the ▁ 1 8 9 0 s , ▁and ▁followed ▁one ▁of ▁four ▁approaches . ▁The ▁territorial ▁narr ative ▁was ▁typically ▁written ▁by ▁a ▁veter an ▁soldier ▁or ▁civil ▁servant ▁who ▁gave ▁heavy ▁emphas is ▁to ▁what ▁he ▁had ▁seen . ▁The ▁" ap ologia " ▁were ▁ess ays ▁designed ▁to ▁justify ▁British ▁policies . ▁Third ly , ▁popular izers ▁tried ▁to ▁reach ▁a ▁large ▁audience , ▁and ▁finally ▁comp end ia ▁appeared ▁designed ▁to ▁combine ▁academic ▁and ▁official ▁credentials . ▁Professional ▁scholar ship ▁appeared ▁around ▁ 1 9 0 0 , ▁and ▁began ▁with ▁the ▁study ▁of ▁business ▁operations , ▁typically ▁using ▁government ▁documents ▁and ▁un pub lished ▁arch ives . ▁The ▁economic ▁approach ▁was ▁widely ▁pract iced ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁primarily ▁to ▁provide ▁descri ptions ▁of ▁the ▁changes ▁under way ▁in ▁the ▁previous ▁half - century . ▁Regin ald ▁Cou pl and , ▁ ▁an ▁Oxford ▁professor , ▁studied ▁the ▁Exp lo itation ▁of ▁East ▁Africa , ▁ 1 8 5 6 – 1 8 9 0 : ▁The ▁S lave ▁Trade ▁and ▁the ▁Sc ram ble ▁( 1 9 3 9 ). ▁ ▁The ▁American ▁historian ▁William ▁L . ▁L anger ▁wrote ▁The ▁Diplom acy ▁of ▁Imperial ism : ▁ 1 8 9 0 – 1 9 0 2 ▁( 1 9 3 5 ), ▁a ▁book ▁is ▁still ▁widely ▁c ited . ▁The ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁di vert ed ▁most ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁w art ime ▁projects ▁and ▁account ed ▁for ▁a