Since the turn of the century, empire as a concept, an object of research and a target of political critique has experienced a dramatic renaissance—“empire” seems to be expanding, as it is wont to do. It has inspired Marxist manifestoes, reanimated postcolonial critique, and fuelled innovative imperial histories. In the vexatious time of Brexit, apologies for imperialism have also increased in frequency and volume. In short, “empire” is a predominant political fantasy of our day and age. How are we to understand imperial fantasies as inherent to the political formations of empires, both in the present and in the past? What political, social and semiotic lives are lived by fantasies of empire? With these questions in mind, we convene our exploratory conference, Striking Back? On Imperial Fantasies and Fantasies of Empire.