A Macat analysis of Janet L. Abu-Lughod's Before European hegemony
Material type: TextPublication details: London Macat International 2017Description: 98pISBN: 978192128761Subject(s): Economic history--Medieval Cities and towns, Medieval International trade Hegemony Europe International economic relationsDDC classification: 330.94 Summary: The modern vision of the world as one dominated by one or more superpowers begs the question of how best to understand the world-system that existed before the rise of the first modern powers. Janet Abu-Lughod's solution to this problem, in this highly influential work, is that Before European Hegemony, a predominantly insular, agrarian world was dominated by groups of mercantile city-states that traded with one another on equal terms across a series of interlocking areas of influence. In this reading of history, China and Japan, the kingdoms of India, Muslim caliphates, the Byzantine Empire and European maritime republics alike enjoyed no absolute dominance over their neighbours and commercial partners – and the egalitarian international trading network that they built endured until European advances in weaponry and ship types introduced radical instability to the system. Abu-Lughod's portrait of a more balanced world is a masterpiece of synthesis driven by one highly creative idea: her world system of interlocking spheres of influence quite literally connected masses of evidence together in new ways. A triumph of fine critical thinking.Item type | Current library | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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BK | Stack | 330.94 DAY/M (Browse shelf (Opens below)) | Available | 51782 |
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330.91732 SAS/C Cities in a world economy | 330.91950112 HAW/A Asia and the pacific | 330.934 BOS/E An economic history of ancient India (300 B.C. - A.D. 700) | 330.94 DAY/M A Macat analysis of Janet L. Abu-Lughod's Before European hegemony | 330.94 PRE/I India and China : the battle between soft and hard power | 330.94 SHA/W The wisdom of ants: a short history of economics | 330.942 HAR/I The Industrial Revolution and economic growth |
The modern vision of the world as one dominated by one or more superpowers begs the question of how best to understand the world-system that existed before the rise of the first modern powers.
Janet Abu-Lughod's solution to this problem, in this highly influential work, is that Before European Hegemony, a predominantly insular, agrarian world was dominated by groups of mercantile city-states that traded with one another on equal terms across a series of interlocking areas of influence. In this reading of history, China and Japan, the kingdoms of India, Muslim caliphates, the Byzantine Empire and European maritime republics alike enjoyed no absolute dominance over their neighbours and commercial partners – and the egalitarian international trading network that they built endured until European advances in weaponry and ship types introduced radical instability to the system.
Abu-Lughod's portrait of a more balanced world is a masterpiece of synthesis driven by one highly creative idea: her world system of interlocking spheres of influence quite literally connected masses of evidence together in new ways. A triumph of fine critical thinking.
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