Europe and the People Without HistoryOffering insight and equal consideration into the societies of the "civilized" and "uncivilized" world, Europe and the People Without History deftly explores the historical trajectory of so-called modern globalization. In this foundational text about the development of the global political economy, Eric R. Wolf challenges the long-held anthropological notion that non-European cultures and peoples were isolated and static entities before the advent of European colonialism and imperialism. Ironically referred to as "the People Without History" by Wolf, these societies before active colonization possessed perpetually changing, reactionary cultures and were indeed just as intertwined into the processes of the pre-Columbian global economic system as their European counterparts. Utilizing Marxian concepts and a vivid consideration for the importance of history, Wolf judiciously traces the effects and conditions in Europe and the rest of the "known" world, beginning in 1400 AD, that allowed capitalism to emerge as the dominant ideology of the modern era. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Africa agricultural anthropology areas Asia Asian became began Benin Brazil British capital capitalist capitalist mode Caribbean caste chiefs China Chinese coast colonies commercial commodities Company competition cotton crops cultivation cultural dominant Dutch East eastern economic eighteenth century elite England English Europe European exchange expansion export force French fur trade gold groups growth gumsa human important increased India Indian industrial Iroquois Islam islands kin-ordered kinship labor power land lineage major Marx mercantile merchants Mesoamerica migration military mode of production Mughal native American nineteenth century North Ojibwa opium organized peasantry plantations political populations Portuguese potlatch Press profit putting-out system region relations River role routes royal rulers segments seventeenth century ships silver sixteenth century slave trade slavery social labor society South southern Spanish sugar supply surplus textile tion Tlingit tributary tribute turn village wealth West West Africa western workers York