The Origins of Capitalism and the "Rise of the West" - Couverture souple

Mielants, Eric H

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1592135765 ISBN 13 : 9781592135769

Editeur : Temple University Press,U.S., 2008

Synopsis

Eric Mielants argues that, contrary to established thinking, the 'rise of the West' should not be examined through the lens of the Industrial Revolution or of the colonization of the New World but viewed through long-term developments that began in the Middle Ages.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

"The strength of this book is its careful comparisons among regions and the strong effort to overcome the Eurocentrism that has undeniably been a great plague on our efforts to comprehend and explain the rise of the West." Christopher Chase-Dunn, Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside "Mielants has pulled together a vast mass of material and challenges hypotheses that have been in danger of being repeated as unquestionable dogmas in some circles." International Socialism "Overall, Mielants' timely book offers a well-thought argument that bucks a popular, ahistorical trend locating the 'rise of Europe' in very specific conditions that emerged only in the 18th or even the 19th century. Summing Up: Essential." --Choice

"Overall, this is an erudite and concise argument that marshals a massive literature in its defense. The book will appeal to a wide range of substantive interests due to its multi-regional comparative and historical analysis. And regardless of your willingness to agree with Mielants's thesis, you will undoubtedly find it thought provoking... While this is certainly not the last word in this ongoing discussion, it is a worthy entry nonetheless." --The International Journal of Comparative Sociology

"Mielants makes a noteworthy contribution to the transition debate and more broadly to the historical sociology literature." --March 2009 issue of Contemporary Sociology

"[A]n important contribution both to world history and to world-systems analysis.... Mielants is able to clear a relatively novel path by assembling a holistic and coherent account that challenges some of them prevailing wisdom regarding why, how, and when capitalism emerged in Europe. In doing so, he provides an intriguing explanation of why Europe ultimately gained ascendance in the world-system." --Journal of World-Systems Research Volume XV, Number 1, 2009

"Mielants makes a noteworthy contribution to the transition debate and more broadly to the historical sociology literature." --March 2009 issue of Contemporary Sociology

"A major contribution to the worldwide debate on the origins of the modern world. It is controversial, encompassing in its survey of the data and the literature, and bound to be included in all further discussions." --Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale University

"This small book, on a very big topic, makes a substantial contribution to the debates on which elements of European society were crucial to its later economic and military might.... One of the major assets of this book is that despite its brief length, it fully engages in comparisons of European history with developments in North Africa, China and south Asia.... Mielants has given us a deeply informed and important new twist on old arguments about the role of merchants and cities in the origins of capitalism. It is an argument that deserves attention and should provoke fruitful debates." --The British Journal of Sociology, Summer 2009

Présentation de l'éditeur

Eric Mielants provides a fresh, interdisciplinary interpretation of the origins of modernity in general and of capitalism in particular. He argues that, contrary to established thinking, the "Rise of the West" should not be examined through the lens of the Industrial Revolution or of the colonization of the New World but viewed through long-term developments that began in the Middle Ages. A fascinating overview of civilizations in East Asia, South Asia, and northwestern Africa is provided and then systematically compared to developments in Europe at the same time. Utilizing this analysis, the book addresses some of the most important current debates in world history, comparative sociology, political economy, sociological theory and historical sociology.Mielants uncovers the ways that existing theories (such as Marxism, World-Systems Theory, and Smithian Modernization Theory) have suffered from either Eurocentric or limited temporal and spatial analyses, preventing them from fully explaining the reasons behind the emergence of capitalism in Western Europe.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Temple University Press,U.S.
• Date d'édition: 2008
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1592135765
• ISBN 13: 9781592135769
• Reliure: Broché
• Numéro d'édition: 2
• Nombre de pages: 256
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Mare Nostrum Group B.V.; gpsr@mare-nostrum.co.uk; ; Doelen 72; Breda; 4831 GR; Pays-Bas