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11 - The rise of the West

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

By
Stephan R. Epstein
Edited by
John A. Hall  and
Ralph Schroeder
Stephan R. Epstein
Affiliation:
Professor of Economic History London School of Economics and Political Science
John A. Hall
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
Ralph Schroeder
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

The appearance in 1986 of the first volume of Michael Mann's trilogy (Mann 1986) brought to an end an extraordinarily fruitful decade, during which a heterogeneous group of economic historians (Mendels 1972; Jones 1981; Brenner 1982), economists (North 1981), and historical sociologists (Anderson 1974a; 1974b; Wallerstein 1974–80; and Hall 1985) jointly attacked, challenged and rewrote many of the established narratives of premodern European history. Mann's empirical range was greater, his theoretical ambitions broader and his analytical scope more encompassing and compelling than most; but he shared with this group the core aim of defining and explaining the mystery of the ‘European miracle’, and it is on this matter that Mann's thoughts are arguably most incisive and original.

Our understanding of the premodern (medieval and early modern) economy has changed significantly since 1986, not least thanks to the works I have just mentioned, which set in motion a more systematic use of cross-cultural comparison and more rigorous, social science-based analysis; other influential developments are more recent, like the rise of ‘global history’ and the irruption of southeast Asian economic history into European historians' consciousness discussed by others in this volume.

Type
Chapter
Information
An Anatomy of Power
The Social Theory of Michael Mann
 , pp. 233 - 262
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • The rise of the West
    • By Stephan R. Epstein, Professor of Economic History London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Edited by John A. Hall, McGill University, Montréal, Ralph Schroeder, University of Oxford
  • Book: An Anatomy of Power
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488993.011
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The rise of the West
    • By Stephan R. Epstein, Professor of Economic History London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Edited by John A. Hall, McGill University, Montréal, Ralph Schroeder, University of Oxford
  • Book: An Anatomy of Power
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488993.011
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The rise of the West
    • By Stephan R. Epstein, Professor of Economic History London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Edited by John A. Hall, McGill University, Montréal, Ralph Schroeder, University of Oxford
  • Book: An Anatomy of Power
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488993.011
Available formats
×