The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation
by John M. Hobson
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Description
John Hobson challenges the ethnocentric bias of mainstream accounts of the Rise of the West. It is often assumed that since Ancient Greek times Europeans have pioneered their own development, and that the East has been a passive by-stander in the story of progressive world history. Hobson argues that there were two processes that enabled the Rise of the 'Oriental West'. First, each major developmental turning point in Europe was informed in large part by the assimilation of Eastern show more inventions (e.g. ideas, technologies and institutions) which diffused from the more advanced East across the Eastern-led global economy between 500-1800. Second, the construction of European identity after 1453 led to imperialism, through which Europeans appropriated many Eastern resources (land, labour and markets). Hobson's book thus propels the hitherto marginalised Eastern peoples to the forefront of the story of progress in world history. show lessTags
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The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation is a telling reconsideration of Global History and a penetrating essay in economic and cultural historiography. Hobson presents evidence for an Afro-Asian ‘Age of Discovery’ and a Chinese ‘industrial miracle’ centuries before Europeans wrote of their own accomplishments in these endeavors. He dismantles myths about Oriental despotism and isolationism, the East’s technological backwardness, Italian Renaissance pioneers, and the European take-off enabled by ‘discovery’ of the New World. Serious readers will have to rethink much of what they have been taught about how the world came to be as it seems.
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Author Information
8 Works 189 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2004
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 909.09821 — History & geography History World history Other Geographic Classifications Other Classifications Ocean And Sea Basins The West; the Atlantic region
- LCC
- CB251 .H63 — Auxiliary Sciences of History History of Civilization History of Civilization Civilization and race
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 120
- Popularity
- 271,747
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.20)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 1
