Global Connections: Volume 1, To 1500: Politics, Exchange, and Social Life in World History - Tapa dura

'Moving beyond the traditional world history narratives focused on empires, countries, or regions, this unique textbook focuses instead on the connections and interactions of empires, city-states, and central states, allowing for a richer and coherent description of the impact of globalization and deglobalization on ordinary people's lives. This new and more comprehensive approach makes this an ideal textbook for many undergraduate courses in sociology, history, and social studies.' Carmenza Gallo, Queens College and Graduate Center, City University of New York

'In a time when historical knowledge is increasingly fragmented, Global Connections stands out for its broad historical and geographic sweep. It examines Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East from ancient times to the present, with special attention given to the three centuries from 1700 to 2000. But this is not your standard world history. Global Connections not only avoids the Eurocentrism of previous grand historical narratives, but tells us how ordinary people lived, worked, and interacted with the kings and potentates who are the focus of traditional history. By combining social history or 'history from below' with a sophisticated understanding of states and economic elites, Global Connections is simply the best guide to world history currently available.' Jeff Goodwin, New York University

'Global Connections is a tour de force of world history. Some of the most outstanding scholars and teachers of our time bring the history of everyday life alive on a reflective journey into our common past and potential future. By interweaving structural analysis with storytelling, this two-volume book is an indispensable text for shaping the minds of future generations of students everywhere.' Behrooz Moazami, Patrick G. O'Keefe Distinguished Professor of History and Director, Middle East Peace Studies, Loyola University New Orleans

'This is the textbook that college instructors have been waiting for: a highly readable narrative of the world's past shaped by a clear and compelling thesis about the processes of globalization. This unique collaboration between renowned historians of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America and one of the world's leading social scientists furnishes students with a rich and detailed account of humanity's social development and the conceptual tools necessary to understand the world around them.' Ariel Salzmann, Queen's University, Ontario

'I am deeply impressed by these two magisterial volumes. Retrieving the experiences of ordinary people and highlighting the many interactions between different parts of the globe, they offer us a new perspective on humankind's past. After this, world history will never be the same. These are truly marvelous books!' Marcel van der Linden, International Institute of Social History

The first textbook to present world history via social history, drawing on social science methods and research. This interdisciplinary, comprehensive and comparative textbook is authored by distinguished scholars and experienced teachers, and offers expert scholarship on global history that is ideal for undergraduate students. Volume 1 takes us from the origin of hominids to ancient civilizations, the rise of empires, and the Middle Ages. The book pays particular attention to the ways in which ordinary people lived through the great changes of their times, and how everyday experience connects to great political events and the commercial exchanges of an interconnected world. With 65 maps, 45 illustrations, timelines, boxes, and primary source extracts, the book moves students easily from particular historical incidents to broader perspectives, enabling them to use historical material and social science methodologies to analyze the events of the past, present and future.