Anthropology and Global History

Anthropology and Global History: From Tribes to the Modern World-System explains the origin and development of human societies and cultures from their earliest beginnings to the present through an anthropological lens, also drawing from the findings of diverse social sciences, including sociology, economics, political science, history, and ecological and religious studies. It uses a "World-System" theoretical framework derived from the work of anthropologist Eric Wolf, sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein, and diverse other social scientists. Given the central place of theory in any credible and productive reconstruction of world history, balance is achieved by integrating intriguing but also relevant detailed and dramatic illustrations of the more general flow of history. This is accomplished in part by "vignettes" that describe strategic historical figures and events at the beginning of the chapters as well as twenty case studies designed to bring to life the more general flow of history throughout the book. The book includes much more about the role of tribal and native peoples than the vast majority of histories. An entire historical phase is devoted to tribal peoples, from 5,000 BC to the present. Tribal peoples are not glorified, but their many accomplishments and contributions to world history are faithfully recorded.