Introduction 1. The Miracle of the West 2. World History 3. Imperialism and Exploitation 4. The Greatness of Asia 5. Why not China? Conclusion
Jonathan Daly is Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His publications include Autocracy under Siege (1998), The Watchful State (2004), and The Rise of Western Power: A Comparative History of Western Civilization (2014).
'In this invaluable primer, Jonathan Daly brings together the most
influential arguments from the last half century of anglophone
scholarship on the perennial question: what led to the rise of the
West? Students will get reliable summaries of the diverse views of
more than a dozen prominent historians (and historical
sociologists) - and in prose often more readable than the original
texts.'Professor John McNeill, Georgetown University, USA
'In this invaluable primer, Jonathan Daly brings together the most
influential arguments from the last half century of anglophone
scholarship on the perennial question: what led to the rise of the
West? Students will get reliable summaries of the diverse views of
more than a dozen prominent historians (and historical
sociologists) - and in prose often more readable than the original
texts.'Professor John McNeill, Georgetown University, USA"Although
faculty often incorporate books they have read into courses they
teach, never before has this reviewer wanted to develop a course
around a particular text until reading Daly’s Historians Debate the
Rise of the West. Presenting various historical theories examining
the rise of the West in world history and its corollary of “why not
China,” Daly (Univ. of Illinois at Chicago) writes an excellent
volume of such diverse theories as the uniqueness of Western
culture, the development of world systems and geographic
imperatives, and the importance of East Asia as a determinant of
the West’s rise without trying to force students into accepting one
theory over another. Daly’s easy writing style, straightforward
presentation of various theories, and inclusion of maps, notes, and
further reading materials make this a text worth having. Summing
up: Essential."K. Lynass, University of Maryland in CHOICE "What
makes this ... excellent, amply detailed and well organized set of
“crib notes” especially valuable is that students will be able to
navigate a very big field, and it should encourage them to do more
than merely dip into Braudel, Pomeranz et al."Nicholas Doumanis,
Australian Journal of Politics and History"The book provides a
valuable concise overview, which this reviewer wishes had been
around when he first became intrigued by this fascinating
topic."Eric Mielants, Journal of World History"Historians Debate
the Rise of the West provides an indepth consideration of important
scholarship pertaining to the West’s current dominant global
position ... Importantly, Daly does not favor one particular reason
why the West rose; rather, he covers a multitude of works—often
contrasting with each other—that explain the current global power
structure."Sarah Nicklas, H-World, H-Net Review"In Historians
Debate the Rise of the West, historian Jonathan Daly systematically
accomplishes his goal of presenting the research and analysis of a
broad array of contemporary academics who had endeavored to
demystify Western ascendancy."David M. Carletta, Anglican and
Episcopal History
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