Global History: Cultural Encounters from Antiquity to the Present - Hardcover

Testa, David W Del; Lemoine, Florence; Strickland, John

9780765680433: Global History: Cultural Encounters from Antiquity to the Present

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765680432 ISBN 13: 9780765680433

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Written in a lively, engaging style and designed to complement the high school social studies curriculum, this reference vividly recreates and analyzes pivotal encounters, exchanges, and conflicts between cultures and civilizations that profoundly influenced the course of human history. It covers all regions of the globe - Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and the Pacific - and all time periods and forms of encounters - from the early trade networks of the Fertile Crescent in 5,000 B.C.E to the spread of monotheism in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, through Columbus's arrival in the Americas, and up to the expansion of the World Wide Web. Each article details one encounter, highlighting the historical background of the civilizations or cultures involved; describing the exchange; and analyzing its social, political, economic, and cultural significance. Each entry includes a timeline; a map; primary source documents related to the exchange; a sidebar summarizing the proliferation of goods, practices, and ideas; bibliographic citations; black-and-white and four-color illustrations; and cross-references. Other features include a general introduction, glossary, and special indexes in each volume.

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About the Author:

David W. Del Testa, Florence Lemoine, John Strickland

From Booklist:

Global History covers significant cultural encounters from 5,000 B.C.E. to the present. Each volume encompasses a specific time period with articles chronologically arranged. In total, the set contains 80 articles representing important instances of cross-cultural contacts, for example, "China's Contact with Southeast Asia" (200 B.C.E.-1433 C.E) or "The Great Revolt of Palestinian Arabs" (1936-39). In selecting topics, the editor looked for examples of interaction "that produced meaningful, appreciable historical exchange on a global level." Many of the articles focus on historical events or particular civilizations, but some treat recent social and technological developments, such as AIDS and satellite broadcasting.

Each volume has an introduction that provides some background and also briefly discusses historiographical approaches to the pertinent era. The articles, varying in length from three or four to 15 pages, are divided into four sections, which offer an introduction to major themes of the exchange, historical background on the civilizations or societies involved or on the events leading up to it, a description of the actual exchange, and an analysis of the significance of the exchange or related developments. Finally, a primary source document is appended. Text in each article is augmented by a time line, a sidebar detailing key steps in the exchange, cross-references, and a four- to 10-item bibliography. The articles are further enhanced by a photograph and a large map illustrating some aspect of the exchange being discussed. Each volume ends with a cumulative time line, glossary, cumulative bibliography, and comprehensive set index. In addition, volume 4 cumulates the glossaries and bibliographies.

The articles are clearly written and engaging enough to hold the attention of most readers from high school up. Global History's cross-cultural approach differentiates it from standard world history reference sources, and it is recommended for high-school, public, and college libraries. RBB
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