Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past » (4th Edition)

Jerry H. Bentley is professor of history at the University of Hawaìi and editor of the Journal of World History. His research on the religious, moral, and political writings of Renaissance humanists led to the publication of Humanists and Holy Writ: New Testament Scholarship in the Renaissance (Princeton, 1983) and Politics and Culture in Renaissance Naples (Princeton, 1987). More recently, his research has concentrated on global history and particularly on processes of cross-cultural interaction. His book Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times (New York, 1993) examines processes of cultural exchange and religious conversion before the modern era, and his pamphlet Shapes of World History in Twentieth-Century Scholarship (Washington, D.C., 1996) discusses the historiography of world history. His current interests include processes of cross-cultural interaction and cultural exchanges in modern times.

Hebert F. Ziegler is an associate professor of history at the University of Hawai'i. He has taught courses on world history for the last 19 years and is currently the director of the world history program at the University of Hawai'i. For several years, he also served as the book review editor of the 'Journal of World History'. His interest in twentieth-century European social and political history led to the publication of 'Nazi Germany's New Aristocracy (1990)'. He is at present working on a study that explores uncharted aspects of German society, especially the cultural manifestations of humor and satire in the Nazi era. His other current research project focuses on the application of complexity theory to a comparative study of societies and their internal dynamics.

Over a million students at thousands of schools have learned about world history with the best selling book for the course, Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. Using the twin themes of traditions and encounters, the text emphasizes both the distinctive patterns of historical development within individual societies and the profound results of interactions between different societies. Exploring the historical record of cross-cultural interactions and exchanges, Traditions and Encounters places the world of contemporary globalization in historical context. The book helps students understand the world’s major societies and shows how the interactions of these societies affect history throughout the world. The authors tell a coherent and digestible story of the past that is not weighed down by excessive detail, so instructors are able to incorporate additional readings. This edition provides an updated map program as well as the latest scholarship. It also moves Primary Source Investigator online, improving access for students to work with primary sources.

Part I: The Early Complex Societies, 3500 to 500 B.C.E.1. Before History2. Early Societies in Southwest Asia3. Early African Societies and the Bantu Migrations4. Early Societies in South Asia5. Early Societies in East Asia6. Early Societies in the Americas and OceaniaPart II: The Formation of Classical Societies, 500 B.C.E. to 500 C.E.7. The Empires of Persia8. The Unification of China9. State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India10. Mediterranean Society: The Greek Phase11. Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase12. Cross-Cultural Exchanges on the Silk RoadsPart III: The Postclassical Era, 500-1000 C.E.13. The Commonwealth of Byzantium14. The Expansive Realm of Islam15. The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia16. India and the Indian Ocean Basin17. The Foundations of Christian Society in Western EuropePart IV: An Age of Cross-Cultural Interaction, 1000 to 1500 C.E.18. Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration19. States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa20. Western Europe During the High Middle Ages21. Worlds Apart: The Americas and Oceania22. Reaching Out: Cross-Cultural InteractionsPart V: The Origins of Global Interdependence, 1500-180023. Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections24. The Transformation of Europe25. The New Worlds: The Americas and Oceania26. Africa and the Atlantic World27. Tradition and change in East AsiaPart VI: An Age of Revolution, Industry, and Empire, 1750-191428. The Islamic Empires29. Revolutions and National States in the Atlantic World30. The Making of Industrial Society31. The Americas in the Age of Independence32. Societies at Crossroads33. The Building of Global EmpiresPart VII: Contemporary Global Realignments, 1914 to the Present34. The Great War: The World in Upheaval35. An Age of Anxiety36. Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America37. New Conflagrations: World War II38. The Bipolar World39. The End of Empire40. A World Without Borders

Jerry H. Bentley is professor of history at the University of Hawaìi and editor of the Journal of World History. His research on the religious, moral, and political writings of Renaissance humanists led to the publication of Humanists and Holy Writ: New Testament Scholarship in the Renaissance (Princeton, 1983) and Politics and Culture in Renaissance Naples (Princeton, 1987). More recently, his research has concentrated on global history and particularly on processes of cross-cultural interaction. His book Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times (New York, 1993) examines processes of cultural exchange and religious conversion before the modern era, and his pamphlet Shapes of World History in Twentieth-Century Scholarship (Washington, D.C., 1996) discusses the historiography of world history. His current interests include processes of cross-cultural interaction and cultural exchanges in modern times.

Hebert F. Ziegler is an associate professor of history at the University of Hawai'i. He has taught courses on world history for the last 19 years and is currently the director of the world history program at the University of Hawai'i. For several years, he also served as the book review editor of the 'Journal of World History'. His interest in twentieth-century European social and political history led to the publication of 'Nazi Germany's New Aristocracy (1990)'. He is at present working on a study that explores uncharted aspects of German society, especially the cultural manifestations of humor and satire in the Nazi era. His other current research project focuses on the application of complexity theory to a comparative study of societies and their internal dynamics.