The Eastern Origins of Western CivilisationThis book challenges the ethnocentric bias of mainstream accounts of the 'Rise of the West'. John Hobson argues that these accounts assume that Europeans have pioneered their own development, and that the East has been a passive by-stander. In contrast Hobson describes the rise of what he calls the 'Oriental West'. He argues that Europe first assimilated many Eastern inventions, and then appropriated Eastern resources through imperialism. Hobson's book thus propels the hitherto marginalised Eastern peoples to the forefront of the story of progressive world history. |
Contents
Countering the Eurocentric myth of the pristine West discovering the oriental West | 1 |
The East as an early developer the East discovers and leads the world through oriental globalisation 5001800 | 27 |
Islamic and African pioneers building the Bridge of the World and the global economy in the AfroAsian age of discovery 5001500 | 29 |
Chinese pioneers the first industrial miracle and the myth of Chinese isolationism c 10001800 | 50 |
The East remains dominant the twin myths of oriental despotism and isolationism in India Southeast Asia and Japan 14001800 | 74 |
The West was last oriental globalisation and the invention of Christendom 5001498 | 97 |
Inventing Christendom and the Eastern origins of European feudalism c 5001000 | 99 |
The myth of the Italian pioneer 10001492 | 116 |
The myth of 1492 and the impossibility of America the AfroAsian contribution to the catch up of the West 1492c 1700 | 161 |
The Chinese origins of British industrialisation Britain as a derivative late developer 17001846 | 190 |
Constructing European racist identity and the invention of the world 17001850 the imperial civilising mission as a moral vocation | 219 |
The dark side of British industrialisation and the myth of laissezfaire war racist imperialism and the AfroAsian origins of industrialisation | 243 |
Conclusion the oriental West versus the Eurocentric myth of the West | 281 |
The twin myths of the rational Western liberaldemocratic state and the great divide between East and West 15001900 | 283 |
The rise of the oriental West identityagency global structure and contingency | 294 |
Notes | 323 |
Common terms and phrases
African age of discovery agricultural Americas anti-Eurocentric Arab Asia Asian backward Black Blaut Braudel breakthrough Britain British industrial British industrialisation Cambridge University Press capital capitalist cent China Chinese Christian cited Civilization claim construction cotton crucial cultural diffused Dutch empire Eurocentric Eurocentric scholars Europe Europe's European identity exports fact feudal free trade global economy ideas imperialism important Indian Ocean industrial revolution industrialisation invented iron Italian Japan Japanese Joseph Needham Kenneth Pomeranz land late lateen sail London major medieval merchants Michael Mann Middle East military modern Moreover Muslims myth navigational Nevertheless nineteenth century noted in ch oriental despotism oriental globalisation oriental West Orientalist origins Oxford Persian pioneered plough political Pomeranz Portuguese production progressive racism rational Renaissance scientific scientific racism ships significant significantly story superior tariffs taxes technologies textiles theory tion Tokugawa turn Vasco da Gama W. E. B. Du Bois Wang Ling Western world history