Essays on Global and Comparative History
Explore the origins of major civilizations, preindustrial empires, modern revolutions, and recent power struggles. Current scholarship has led to a rethinking of established views, reflecting greater sensitivity to variations in cultures, social systems, and political economies. Several essays in this series first appeared in a volume published in 1993 by Temple University Press entitled Islamic and European Expansion: The Forging of a Global Order. With additional pamphlets now available, the series treats more than 20 topics in world history by prominent scholars. These essays are especially useful to college and secondary school teachers who are engaged in teaching world history in a comparative format.
Michael Adas is Abraham Voorhees Professor of History at Rutgers University at New Brunswick. In addition to being the editor of this series, he is coeditor of the Cambridge University Press series, Studies in Comparative World History.
The Technopolitics of Cold War: Toward a Transregional Perspective
andTechnological change played a major role in the defining events of the twentieth century, and during the nearly four decades of Cold War, military hardware became an economic sector unto itself. This pamphlet studies the scientific, technological, and political changes of the Cold War through a global, social perspective.
Gabrielle Hecht is associate professor of history at the University of Michigan.
Paul N. Edwards is associate professor of information at the University of Michigan.
2008. 64 pages
ISBN 978-0-87229-157-7
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The Gendering of Human Rights in the International
Systems of Law in the Twentieth Century
Quataert examines the historiography of human rights and shows that the human rights system of international laws and institutions developed out of a clearly defined set of historical struggles: a result from above-level legal changes responding to pressures and interventions from below-level grassroots organizations.
Jean H. Quataert is is professor of history at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
2006. 66 pages
ISBN 0-87229-137-5
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Sudanic Civilizations
This essay provides a concise study of the history and cultures of the ancient peoples of the Sudan, within the rubric of World History. It also gives a detailed look at the socioeconomic developments within that region from 9000 b.c.e. to 1000 a.d.
Christopher Ehret is professor of African history at UCLA. He is the author of several books, including An African Classical Age: Eastern and Southern Africa in World History, 1000 b.c. to a.d. 400 (1998).
2002. 60 pages
ISBN 0-87229-125-1
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Agricultural Origins in a Global Perspective
This essay uses a world-history perspective to examine the origins of agriculture in social development, with an emphasis on how the agricultural development in southwestern Asia defined that region and proliferated into others.
John A. Mears is an associate professor of history at Southern Methodist University. He is the author of essays on a variety of curricular and educational topics and co-author of a high school world history text. A past president of the World History Association, his recent publications include contributions to the "World History Section" of the American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature.
2002. 47 pages
ISBN 0-87229-129-4
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Southernization
Shaffer's essay examines the concept of "southernization"--as opposed to "westernization"--as a complex phenomenon of social organization that began in Southern Asia prior to the 5th century c.e., and developed into a symbiotic system of social development with the peoples of Asia, as it spread throughout the continent.
Lynda N. Shaffer is professor of history at Tufts University and the author of Native Americans before 1492 (1992) and Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500 (1996).
2002. 47 pages
SBN 0-87229-130-8
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Nomads and Sedentary Societies in Medieval Eurasia
This essay provides a study of the history and cultures of the peoples of Eurasia. It includes discussions of the centrality of Eurasia to global history, of the ancient medieval populations of Eurasia, and of nomadism and nomadic and sedentary societies. The essay also covers state formation and ethnogenesis. Includes bibliographical references.
Peter B. Golden is a professor of history at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey at Newark. He is author of Khazar Studies, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples, three chapters of the Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, and numerous articles.
1998. 60 pages
ISBN 0-87229-108-1
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The Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Interactions in Eurasia
The Silk Road is a term often applied to the trans-Eurasian trade routes that flourished during the first millennium of the common era. For more than a thousand years many luxury goods, of which silk was the best known, moved along these routes, from East Asia to the Mediterranean. In this essay the author discusses the rediscovery of the Silk Road and summarizes the relationship of Buddhism and the contributions of religious activities to the Silk Road. The essay also includes coverage on silk producers outside of China as well as nomads and Central Asian traders. Includes notes and references.
Xinru Liu is a professor at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in Beijing.
1998. 42 pages
ISBN 0-87229-106-5
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The Peoples and Civilizations of the Americas before Contact
This essay provides a fundamental chronology of the development of indigenous cultures in the Americas, from the initial arrival of humans to the coming of Europeans. It classifies and compares the types of native societies and civilizations that arose in North and South America and identifies the essential characteristics of the groups over time, noting exchanges, interconnections, and dynamics that brought about change. Includes bibliographical references.
John E. Kicza is Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor of History at Washington State University.
1998. 59 pages
ISBN 0-87229-103-0
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Women in Ancient Civilizations
and Brady Hughes
This essay examines the lives of women from three perspectives. The first focuses on women's importance in prehistory. The second describes common characteristics of women's productive work and legal status in literate societies. The third introduces the importance of women's reproductive functions both to their self-esteem and as a source of potential power in society. Includes bibliographical references.
Sarah Shaver Hughes and Brady Hughes are the authors of the two-volume Women in World History. Sarah S. Hughes also wrote "Gender at the Base of World History," in Teaching World History, ed. Heidi Roupp.
1998. 47 pages
ISBN 0-87229-107-3
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Finding Buddhists in Global History
This essay represents an attempt at making room for global thought in the historical study of Buddhist materials. It articulates some limitations in what scholars thought they knew about Buddhist global history, develops new global perspectives on that knowledge, and defines new vocabularies for discussing Buddhist history on a global scale. Includes bibliographical references.
Jonathan S. Walters is an associate professor of religion and Asian studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He is the author of The History of Kelaniya and of numerous articles on Sri Lankan and Buddhist history.
1998. 56 pages
ISBN 0-87229-106-5
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The Age of Gunpowder Empires, 1450–1800
This essay explores the advent of gunpowder weapons and how the use of these weapons changed the balance of power in warfare, transforming global history by leading to a period of dominance by Western European powers. The essay compares European, Russian, Islamic, Chinese, and Japanese uses of gunpowder weapons and explores how these powers fit guns into their political, military, and cultural systems.
William H. McNeill is Robert A. Millikan Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Chicago.
1989. 49 pages
ISBN 0-87229-043-3
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The Columbian Voyages, the Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians
First in the Global and Comparative History essay series, this essay was issued in anticipation of the 1992 Columbus Quincentennial. It contrasts traditional interpretations of the Columbian voyages with the analytic understanding made possible by the quantitative study of population, economics, nutrition, and disease. Comprehensive geographic, biological, and demographic information provides thought-provoking depth to the story of Columbus.
Alfred W. Crosby is a professor of American studies, history, and geography at the University of Texas at Austin.
1987. 29 pages
ISBN 0-87229-039-5
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Gender and Islamic History
In this overview of gender within the world of Islam, the debate regarding the influence of gender in the study of Islam and the influence of Islam in the study of gender is explored. Also discussed are the problems of scarce source material on ordinary people in the Middle East’s early history, the development in the ruling classes of the harim, and the seclusion of women.
Judith E. Tucker is a professor of history and the director of Arab studies at Georgetown University.
1994. 37 pages
ISBN 0-87229-070-0
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Gender, Sex, and Empire
The intersection of gender, sexuality, and race is a new area of exploration within the study of European imperialism. In this essay the author discusses such roles as white women’s implicit task of regulating the sexual boundaries between the ruling classes and the indigenous populations during the 18th and 19th centuries. The focus of this exploration is primarily on British Africa and India, with other areas briefly touched upon.
Margaret Strobel is a professor of women’s studies and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
1994. 31 pages
ISBN 0-87229-074-3
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The Hellenistic Period in World History
Although Alexander the Great’s empire was short-lived, the Hellenistic civilization it produced shaped the course of political, social, and cultural development on three continents (Africa, Asia, Europe). The essay argues that the Hellenistic period represented one of the most intense and fruitful eras of global, intercultural exchange in the classical age.
Stanley M. Burstein is a professor of ancient history and the chair of the history department at California State University at Los Angeles.
1995. 33 pages
ISBN 0-87229-075-1
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"High" Imperialism and the "New" History
This essay probes controversies surrounding the study of European conquest and colonization. The experiences of women, peasants, and urban working people of the conquered regions have recently been given voice through the use of oral accounts and other nontraditional sources. These studies have helped shift the focus from Eurocentric political, diplomatic, and economic interpretations to a more global perspective.
Michael Adas is Abraham Voorhees Professor of History at Rutgers University at New Brunswick. He is the editor of the "Essays on Global and Comparative History" for the AHA.
1994. 34 pages
ISBN 0-87229-073-5-3
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Industrialization and Gender Inequality
This essay explores the impact of changing socioeconomic structures on gender inequality by making systematic comparisons of early industrialization and urbanization in Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The essay draws conclusions based on the analysis of the differing effects and methods of industrialization and makes suggestions for continued research.
Louise A. Tilly is Michael E. Gellert Professor of History and Sociology and chair of the Committee on Historical Studies at the New School for Social Research.
1994. 68 pages
ISBN 0-87229-072-7
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Interpreting the Industrial Revolution
This essay examines the causes and changes--economic, social, political, and technological--of the Industrial Revolution that first influenced European and American societies and were then felt on a global basis. Industrial revolutions in Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United States, and several developing nations are also studied.
Peter N. Stearns is Heinz Professor of History and dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.
1991. 66 pages
ISBN 0-87229-049-2
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Islamic History as Global History
This essay explores the rise of Islam and its continuing influential role in Africa, Asia, and Europe, making it the source of a truly global civilization. Such concepts as the nature of Islamic civilization and the sources of its cultural diffusion, Islamic socioreligious institutions, and Islam as a world system are also discussed.
Richard M. Eaton is a professor of history at the University of Arizona.
1990. 51 pages
ISBN 0-87229-046-8
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Shapes of World History in Twentieth-Century Scholarship
In this wide-ranging, thoughtful essay, the author reflects on the main approaches to the writing of world history from such standard works as those by Toynbee and Spengler to the innovative departures that dominate current works in the field. This survey leaves little doubt that studies with a global perspective will grow in their influence on research and teaching in history and the related disciplines.
Jerry H. Bentley is a professor of history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
1995. 34 pages
ISBN 0-87229-075-1
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The Tropical Atlantic in the Age of the Slave Trade
This essay traces the development of the "plantation complex" (the economic and political order centering on slave plantations) in tropical Africa and the Americas over several centuries. Also discussed are the patterns of the sugar and slave trades, their economic growth and decline, and their effects on Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
Philip D. Curtin is Herbert Baxter Adams Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.
1991. 47 pages
ISBN 0-87229-048-4
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The World System in the Thirteenth Century: Dead-End or Precursor?
Most works on the rise of capitalism and European global hegemony begin around A.D. 1400 and focus on European development. This essay discusses the hundred years between A.D. 1250 and 1350 and reveals a complex system of world trade and cultural exchange that involved many advanced societies between northwestern Europe and China.
Janet Lippman Abu-Lughod is a professor of sociology and a member of the Committee on Historical Studies at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research.
1994. 28 pages
ISBN 0-87229-071-9
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Last Updated: January 11, 2008 12:54 PM