A World View of History

This paper outlines why the world view approach to history is preferable to a European and/or American-centered approach to studying history.

1,258 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how a world history view allows for more creativity, is far more holistic and encourages students to see societal, spatial and cultural interactions with a sophistication they would not be able to otherwise.The paper looks at articles by Patrick Manning and by Gilbert Allardyce and briefly compares and contrasts them with an eye towards illuminating the central arguments they advance in favor of eschewing a rigid, Eurocentric view of history.

From the Paper:

"To begin with, an emphasis upon world history is eminently desirable because there is mounting evidence that the differences between groups of people are much smaller than previously supposed. In his plenary address of March, 2004, Patrick Manning writes that geneticists have now proved that humans are closely-related to one another, that our collective ancestors emerged roughly 200,000 years ago in Eastern Africa, and that human beings have a consistent pattern of biological mixing. Findings such as these clearly call into question the ill-conceived notions of racial hierarchy and racial distinctiveness which dominated popular (and academic) thought in previous generations. As well, a focus on world history offers valuable insights into both why Northern Atlantic economies rose to pre-eminence in the early nineteenth century and the extent to which the world's various economic systems have been linked since at least the sixteenth century."

Sample of Sources Used:

Allardyce, Gilbert. "The Rise and Fall of the Western Civilization Course." The American Historical Review, 87.3 (1982): 695-725.
Manning, Peter. "Concepts and Institutions for World History: The Next Ten Years." Plenary Address - March 13, 2004. pp.1-15.