"Rethinking World History": A Look at Hodgson Analytical Essay by Top Papers

The paper relates that Marshall G.S. Hodgson was one of the most controversial - and brilliant - American historians of the third quarter of the twentieth century. More than that, the paper discusses how Hodgson was an apparent non-conformist who sought to re-define the traditional scholarly interpretation of European history in a way that would re-locate it within the context of what was going on in the larger world. Additionally, the paper explains that Hodgson was one of the more remarkable historiographers of his age, wholly accepting and applying the notion that even the best - and most professional - observers of the world scene are guided by their own pre-commitments. The paper posits that Hodgson's work brings out how European pre-eminence was and is not divinely pre-ordained and that the fledgling Western civilization which found its modern expression in Europe was and remains indebted to civilizations which may yet out-strip it.