Synopses & Reviews
Based on Bentley and Ziegler's best-selling, comprehensive survey text, Traditions and Encounters: A Brief Global History provides a streamlined account of the cultures and interactions that have shaped world history. The text's strong hallmark themes of traditions (the formations and development of the world's major societies) and encounters (cross-cultural interactions and exchanges) bring focus to the human experience and help turn the giant story of world history into something more manageable to teach and learn. At the same time, an effective part structure organizes developments into seven eras of global history, putting events into perspective and creating a framework for cross-cultural comparisons. With an engaging narrative, visual appeal, extended pedagogy, and a strong emphasis on critical thinking, this concise version offers enhanced flexibility and affordability without sacrificing the features that have made the complete text a favorite among instructors and students alike.
About the Author
Jerry H. Bentley is professor of history at the University of Hawai`i and editor of the
Journal of World History. His research on the religious, moral, and political writings of Renaissance humanists led to the publication of
Humanists and Holy Writ: New Testament Scholarship in the Renaissance (Princeton, 1983) and
Politics and Culture in Renaissance Naples (Princeton, 1987). More recently, his research has concentrated on global history and particularly on processes of cross-cultural interaction. His book
Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times (New York, 1993) examines processes of cultural exchange and religious conversion before the modern era, and his pamphlet
Shapes of World History in Twentieth-Century Scholarship (Washington, D.C., 1996) discusses the historiography of world history. His current interests include processes of cross-cultural interaction and cultural exchanges in modern times.
Herbert F. Ziegler is an associate professor of history at the University of Hawai'i. He has taught courses on world history for the last 19 years and is currently the director of the world history program at the University of Hawai'i. For several years, he also served as the book review editor of the 'Journal of World History'. His interest in twentieth-century European social and political history led to the publication of 'Nazi Germany's New Aristocracy (1990)'. He is at present working on a study that explores uncharted aspects of German society, especially the cultural manifestations of humor and satire in the Nazi era. His other current research project focuses on the application of complexity theory to a comparative study of societies and their internal dynamics.
Heather Streets Salter is Associate Professor of History at Washington State University, where she teaches World History at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She received her Ph.D. in the History of the British Empire at Duke University in 1998. She is director of the WSU History department's World History Ph.D. program, and director of Washington State University's undergraduate World Civilizations program. She served as an area editor for the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, published in 2008 by Oxford University Press. Recent publications include Martial Races: The Military, Race, and Masculinity in British Imperial Culture, 1857-1914, published in 2004 by Manchester University Press. Her forthcoming book (co-authored with Trevor Getz), Imperialism in the Modern World, will be published by Pearson in 2010.
Table of Contents
Part I: The Early Complex Societies, 3500 to 500 B.C.E. Chapter 1: The Foundations of Complex Societies The Transition to Agriculture The Quest for Order The Formation of a Complex Society and Sophisticated Cultural Traditions The Broader Influence of Mesopotamian Society The Indo-European Migrations Chapter 2: Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations Early Agricultural Society in Africa The Formation of Complex Societies and Sophisticated Cultural Traditions Bantu Migrations and Early Agricultural Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter 3: Early Societies in South and East Asia Harapan Society The Indo-European Migrations and Early Aryan India Religion in the Vedic Age Political Organization in Early China Society and Family in Ancient China Early Chinese Writing and Cultural Development Ancient China and the Larger World Chapter 4: Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania Early Societies of Mesoamerica Early Societies of South America Early Societies of Oceania Part II: The Formation of Classical Societies, 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E. Chapter 5: The Empires of Persia The Rise and Fall of the Persian Empires The Achaemenid Empire Imperial Society and Economy Religions of Salvation in Classical Persian Society Chapter 6: The Unification of China In Search of Political and Social Order The Unification of China From Economic Prosperity to Social Disorder Chapter 7: State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India The Fortunes of Empire in Classical India Economic Development and Social Distinctions Religions of Salvation in Classical India Chapter 8: Mediterranean Society under the Greeks and Romans Early Development of Greek Society Greece and the Larger World The Fruits of Trade: Greek Economy and Society The Cultural Life of Classical Greece From Kingdom to Republic From Republic to Empire Economy and Society in the Roman Mediterranean The Cosmopolitan Mediterranean Chapter 9: Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk Roads Long-Distance Trade and the Silk Roads Network Cultural and Biological Exchanges along the Silk Roads China after the Han Dynasty The Fall of the Roman Empire Part III: The Post-Classical Era, 500 to 1000 C.E. Chapter 10: The Commonwealth of Byzantium The Early Byzantine Empire Byzantine Economy and Society Classical Heritage and Orthodox Christianity The Influence of Byzantium in Eastern Europe Chapter 11: The Expansive Realm of Islam A Prophet and His World The Expansion of Islam Economy and Society of the Early Islamic World Islamic Values and Cultural Exchanges Chapter 12: The Resurgence if Empire in East Asia The Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule in China The Economic Development of Tang and Song China Cultural Change in Tang and Song China Chinese Influence in East Asia Chapter 13: India and the Indian Ocean Basin Islamic and Hindu Kingdoms Production and Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin The Meeting of Hindu and Islamic Traditions The Influence of Indian Society in Southeast Asia Part IV: An Age of Cross Cultural Interaction, 1000 to 1500 C.E. Chapter 14: Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration Turkish Migrations and Imperial Expansion The Mongol Empires After the Mongols Chapter 15: States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa Effects of Early African Migrations African Society and Cultural Development Islamic Kingdoms and Empires Chapter 16: Western Europe during the Middle Ages The Quest for Order and the Establishment of Regional States Economic Growth and Social Development European Christianity during the High Middle Ages The Medieval Expansion of Europe Chapter 17: World Apart: Beyond the Eastern Hemisphere States and Empires in Mesoamerica and North America States and Empires in South America The Societies of Oceania Chapter 18: Reaching Out: Cross-Cultural Interactions Long-Distance Trade and Travel Crisis and Recovery Exploration and Colonization Part V: The Origins of Global Interdependence, 1500-1800 Chapter 19: Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections The European Reconnaissance of the World's Oceans Trade and Conflict in Early Modern Asia Global Exchanges Chapter 20: The Transformation of Europe The Fragmentation of Western Christendom The Consolidation of Sovereign States Early Capitalist Society Science and Enlightenment Chapter 21: New Worlds: The Americas and Oceania Colliding Worlds Colonial Society in the Americas Europeans in the Pacific Chapter 22: Africa and the Atlantic World African Politics and Society in Early Modern Times The Atlantic Slave Trade The African Diaspora Chapter 23: Tradition and Change in East Asia The Quest for Political Stability Economic and Social Changes The Confucian Tradition and New Cultural Influences The Unification of Japan Chapter 24: The Islamic Empires Formation of the Islamic Empires Imperial Islamic Society The Empires in Transition Part VI: An Age of Revolution, Industry and Empire, 1750-1914 Chapter 25: Revolutions and National States in the Atlantic World Popular Sovereignty and Political Upheaval The Influence of Revolution The Consolidation of National States in Europe Chapter 26: The Making of Industrial Society Patterns of Industrialization Industrial Society Global Effects of Industrialization Chapter 27: The Americas in the Age of Independence The Building of American States American Economic Development American Cultural and Social Diversity Chapter 28: The Building of Global Empires Foundations of Empire Europeans Imperialism The Emergence of New Imperial Power Legacies of Imperialism Part VII: Contemporary Global Realignments Chapter 29: The Great War: The World in Upheaval The Drift Toward War Global War The End of the War Chapter 30: An Age of Anxiety Probing Cultural Frontiers Global Depression Challenges to the Liberal Order Chapter 31: Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America Asian Paths to Autonomy Africa under Colonial Domination Latin American Struggles with Neocolonialism Chapter 32: New Conflagrations: World War II Origins of World War II Total War: The World Under Fire Life During Wartime Neither Peace nor War Chapter 33: The Cold War and Decolonization The Formation of a Bipolar World Decolonization and the Global Cold War From Dissent to Dissolution in the Cold War Chapter 34: A World without Borders Global World Economy Cross-Cultural Exchanges and Global Communications Global Problems Crossing Boundaries