Periodization is the way in which scholars, teachers and students studying history divide up all of studied history into sections. The articles read for this topic talk about different way periodization is defined, applied, and how that can change how people see and understand history and events. This second paper is response to the four readings assigned about this topic of periodization.
Bentley
“Cross-Cultural Interaction and Periodization in World History”, by professor Jerry H. Bentley makes the argument that approaching cross cultural factors when defining periods to world history is necessary.
I honestly really enjoyed this article. It took me a long time to go through it and there are probably things I don’t understand still,
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These 6 criteria can be all be reduced or connected to cross cultural interactions. So, while Manning offers more detail on the concept, the article as a whole, kind of seems like Manning is arguing for the sake of arguing more than anything …show more content…
Green is about periodization as how it relates to the world view and western view of history. It is organized into three sections that talk about the history of western periodization, if the current practice of western periodization is functional, and world periodization. It talks about various approaches or methods to periodization.
This article took me quite a while to read also, often sopping to look up words to hopefully have a better understanding. It was one of the more challenging reads for me. I like that Green’s paper is well organized into manageable sections. In the article, he asks if periodization designed to study European history can be applied to the study of world history. I think it cannot. If that specialized periodization were applied to World history, those teaching, studying, and learning world history would probably just see a very much European view of world events and how they matter to European powers, giving a biased view of history.
Through these four articles about periodization there have been several concepts of what periodization is by simple definitions. Also, they talk about how important it is to carefully use periodization because it can make a big impact on how the information is understood. Over all I found the four readings informative and interesting, despite some of it being
This was honestly the most useful source yet. I found so much useful information and it expanded my view on the novel
“Why Western History Matters” is an essay adapted from a speech Donald Kagan delivered to the National Association of Scholars, and was reprinted in the December 28, 1994, issue of the Wall Street Journal. Throughout Kagan’s essay, he describes the essential need for the college course, Western History. He does so by examining older cultures and explaining why they were quintessential to the past and to our future development as a society. I strongly concur with Kagan’s standpoint of the necessity of history, and the realization of how exactly our flourishing society came about. History is a key constituent in determining who we are; for to determine who we are one must first know from whence they came. In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
Bentley, Jerry H., and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions & Encounters: A Global Persepective on the Past. Ed. Jessica Portz. 5th ed., 2011. 290-295. Print.
Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History by historian David Christian explores a “modern creation myth” (2). Christian takes his readers from the big bang to modern day in a technical and historical narrative. He believes that big history is a new, yet important, area of history ignored by historians. Christian tells us big history is “a coherent story about the past on many different scales, beginning, literally, with the origins of the universe and ending in the present day” (2). The strength in Christian’s argument is in that he carefully takes his readers through each stage in history, much like a textbook, using charts, graphs, pictures, and the language for each area, like astronomy or biology. However, Christian’s goal is not complete. Christian, at multiple points, tells his readers there are many more details and theories that surround any one of his given subjects. Although his book is a great overall coverage for a topic as large as big history, his readers may wonder if such the idea of big history is a good one.
What more is the point of learning and understanding human history than obtaining the knowledge and structure between what is right and what is wrong? We continuously believe that we as humans have the ability and intellect to learn from the lessons taught in our past in order to enrich our future. In comparison to the time frame that is human history the one hundred year period of time we discussed in the second halve of this semester is nothing but a slight blimp on the map that we have traversed. Yet, throughout our recent readings we can easily assimilate into the idea that although time may pass, and that we may attempt to learn from our history it is simply in human nature to repeat the mistakes that we have
Upshur, Jiu-Hwa, Janice J. Terry, Jim Holoka, Richard D. Goff, and George H. Cassar. Thomson advantage Books World History. Compact 4th edition ed. Vol. Comprehensive volume. Belmont: Thompson Wadsworth, 2005. 107-109. Print.
... analysis of the period will be vital it framing my essay and providing a background. The author uses many monographs about various topics such as important figures of the period. Primary sources used include Progressive political platforms and public papers.
One of the events was the Industrial Revolution. During this time, there was a shift in energy from the usage of water and windmills to wood. With the usage of wood came the production of mirrors. This lead to self- consciousness and individualization. People didn’t see themselves as individuals prior to this point and they also lacked self-interest. Because of this advancement, there was even greater social improvement. There were advances in science with the invention of the telescopes and microscopes, which enabled society to create a complex civilization. This fostered a deep sense of self awareness. The other historical movement was the Romantic period. What started off this period was the painting of “Marianne”. She represented compassion and feelings of openness. This lead to the discussion of human imagination and it allowed people to open up their creative minds. People started to understand the connection between other human beings and come to the revelation that we are connected. This lead to empathetic consciousness by imagining ourselves as someone else. People also stared to learn that they are inseparable parts of nature and all living things, which surpasses the French Revolution’s notion that man is the center of the universe (344). We also found that our compassionate instinct is rooted from our emotions and feeling. The two movements, Industrial Revolution and the Romantic period are linked because the one lead to the other. It was a progression of everything that happened during the revolution that lead to the Romantic era which lead to where we are now. Everything is linked and every breakthrough is leading us towards new advancements and a better
Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomsom Learning, 2001. 374-438.
...is, Elisabeth Gaynor., and Anthony Esler. World History Connections to Today. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.
Ellis, Elizabeth Gaynor, and Anthony Esler. World History: The Modern Era. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
We are introduced to historical work done by North America, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, France, Central Europe, and some minor reference to Poland and Russia. The three main divisions of the text are a gamut of information about the late 19th and early 20th century. It is during this time that Iggers talks about Leopold Ranke and the influence of his brilliant ideas. “It was Ranke's aim to turn history into a rigorous science practiced by professionally trained historians” (Iggers, 2005). Ranke initially introduced the ...
The next theory is the modernization theory, which is the basis for the rest of the essay. The modernization theory is that since the West led the push to modernization, many components of Western culture are embedded in modern society. “As the first civilization to modernize, the West is the first to have fully acquired the culture of modernity.” This theory also heavily relies on the idea that in order to modernize, the country must Westernize and lose its traditional culture. It is then proposed that although in present day many societies are modern, it does not mean they are all the same.
Beck, Roger B., Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, and Dahia I. Shabaka. World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2009.
Duiker, William J. , and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History . 6th. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2010. print.