The invention discloses a compact micro snapshot channel modulation full polarization imaging detection device and method. The detection device comprises an object lens, a full polarization modulation module and a surface array detector which are sequentially arranged along incident light, wherein the full polarization modulation module comprises a first birefringence prism, a first half-wave plate, a second birefringence prism, a second half-wave plate, a third birefringence prism, a third half-wave plate, a fourth birefringence prism and a linear polarizer which are sequentially arranged along the incident light, the parts cling to each other, the linear polarizer is arranged clinging to a photosurface of the surface array detector, and the photosurface of the surface array detector is perpendicular to an optical axis of the detection device and is at the image plane position of the object lens. The detection device is advantaged in that the full polarization modulation module capable of realizing combination prism light splitting is employed, the interference intensity information of a detected two-dimensional target through channel modulation at the certain time can be acquired through shooting an image, and two-dimensional space polarization graphs corresponding to all the Stokes polarization parameters can be acquired through utilizing a Fourier demodulation algorithm for processing.