L. Hunt – The Making of the West. Peoples and Cultures. A Concise History Since 1340 To 1740 (2010)

Автор: L. Hunt
Название книги: The Making of the West. Peoples and Cultures. A Concise History Since 1340 To 1740
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Культурология
Страницы: 1164
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

The Making of the West is a story of interactions — cross-cultural exchanges that span the globe, as well as the ongoing interactions between societies, cultures, governments, economies, religions, and ideas. To highlight these interactions and help students grasp the vital connections between political, social, and cultural events, The Making of the West: A Concise History presents a comprehensive picture of each historical era within a brief chronological narrative. The book also situates Europe within a truly global context, facilitating students’ understanding of the events that have shaped their own times. A full-color map and art program deepen students’ understanding of the narrative.

The dramatic events of the last decade have pushed us to look at the
history of the West in new ways. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a global financial and economic
crisis all have roots in the past. Digging down to those roots helps us make
better sense of the present, and at the same time gives us a better appreciation of
how the past differs from the present. We welcome the challenge of incorporating
and explaining these momentous events and believe that our project’s basic goal and
approach are well suited to meeting the challenge presented by them. From the very
beginning, we have insisted on an expanded vision of the West that includes the
United States, fully incorporates eastern Europe, and emphasizes Europe’s relationship
with the rest of the world, whether through trade, colonization, migration, cultural
exchange, or religious and ethnic conflict. This approach enables us to explain
how globalization can seem both promising and problematic, now and in the past.
Textbooks, even very good ones, must constantly evolve. New developments,
whether in the form of events or historical approaches, require new efforts at synthesis.
This observation applies not just to the recent past, where change is evident
at every level, but also to all the other epochs in history, right back to what has been
called “prehistory.” New archaeological discoveries and techniques for studying the
remains of the past continually produce fresh evidence, even about peoples who lived
before the invention of writing. Contrary to popular opinion, the past never stands
still, and so authors of textbooks must constantly gather up the new evidence, consider
the new approaches, and rewrite history accordingly. We relish the opportunity
and take seriously the responsibility of providing a coherent narrative of the West
that will enable students to understand the world they live in now.