''The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation'', written by the political scientist
John M. Hobson in 2004, is a
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...
that argues against the
historical theory
A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...
of the
rise of the West after 1492 as a "virgin birth", but rather as a product of Western interactions with a more technically and socially advanced
Eastern civilization.
The text reinterprets
Eurocentric
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western worl ...
ideas of Europe's contributions to world development. For example, it provides evidence that a complex system of
global trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy)
In most countries, such trade represents a significant s ...
existed long before
Mercantilist Europe, that social and economic theories in the
Enlightenment came from encounters with new cultures rather than with
Greek and Roman heritage, and that modern European hegemony resulted from situational advantages rather than from inherent superior traits.
Key ideas
* Many inventions critical to European progress were Chinese innovations.
* Europeans appropriated many Eastern resources such as land, labour and markets through imperialism.
* European powers did not create world trade, but rather used American silver to integrate into bustling Indian and Chinese markets.
* The belief that European hegemony derived from free trade, reasoned rule, and democracy is a patriotic myth. European powers won trading rights by force, and Britain developed the industrial revolution under harsh regulations.
* Cultural movements and ideas were spurred by contact with the outside world, particularly with the East.
Response
A reviewer for the Culture Mandala wrote Hobson's work "complements and builds on the insights of
Frank
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
,
Braudel
Fernand Braudel (; 24 August 1902 – 27 November 1985) was a French historian and leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects: ''The Mediterranean'' (1923–49, then 1949–66), ''Civilization and Capitalism'' ...
and others to illustrate in great detail both how substantial China's historical achievement has been and how much the West has distorted history to serve the purpose of its imperial civilizing mission".
John Hall of
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
, writing in the ''English Historical Review'', asserted that Hobson's work is prone to wild exaggerations and "tends to cite only those parts of an author’s work that agree with his argument, and misses out whole realms of scholarship". Hobson, Hall continues, "tends to give us bad sociology," and his construct of Eurocentrism is "often a straw man." Hall remarks that Hobson makes "odd claims," such as asserting that "
Adam Smith depended upon Chinese intellectual discoveries," and that Hobson's "general picture seems to fail".
[Hall, John A. "Review of The Eastern Origins of Western Civilization". ''English Historical Review'', Vol CXIII No. 495, 2007.]
See also
*
James Morris Blaut
James Morris Blaut (October 20, 1927 – November 11, 2000) was an American professor of anthropology and geography at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His studies focused on the agricultural microgeography (geographical activity of villag ...
*
Andre Gunder Frank
Andre Gunder Frank (February 24, 1929 – April 25, 2005) was a German-American sociologist and economic historian who promoted dependency theory after 1970 and world-systems theory after 1984. He employed some Marxian concepts on politi ...
*
Samir Amin
Samir Amin ( ar, سمير أمين) (3 September 1931 – 12 August 2018) was an Egyptian-French Marxian economist, political scientist and world-systems analyst. He is noted for his introduction of the term Eurocentrism in 1988 and considered ...
*
Jack Goldstone
Jack A. Goldstone (born September 30, 1953) is an American sociologist, political scientist, and historian, specializing in studies of social movements, revolutions, political demography, and the 'Rise of the West' in world history. He is an a ...
*
Roy Bin Wong
*
Jack Goody
*
Kenneth Pomeranz
Kenneth Pomeranz, FBA (born November 4, 1958) is University Professor of History at the University of Chicago. He received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1980, where he was a Telluride Scholar, and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1988, ...
*
Victor Lieberman
Victor B. Lieberman (born 22 July 1945) is an American historian of early modern Southeast Asia and Eurasia. He presently serves as the Raoul Wallenberg Distinguished University Professor of History and Professor of Asian and Comparative History a ...
*
Janet Abu-Lughod
Janet Lippman Abu-Lughod (August 3, 1928 – December 14, 2013) was an American sociologist who made major contributions to world-systems theory and urban sociology.
Early life
Raised in Newark, New Jersey, she attended Weequahic High School, ...
*
Angus Maddison
Angus Maddison (6 December 1926 – 24 April 2010) was a distinguished British economist specialising in quantitative macro economic history, including the measurement and analysis of economic growth and development.
Maddison lectured at sev ...
References
External links
Interview with John M. HobsonBook review by Carroll Quigley
Book review by Carroll Quigley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation
2004 non-fiction books
21st-century history books
Historical revisionism
History books about China
History books about Europe
Works about the theory of history