A.G. Hopkins Edits a Comprehensive

A.G. Hopkins edits a comprehensive historical analysis of the theme and phenomenon of globalization with Globalization in World History. Published in 2002, the editor's place of reference is that globalization is more than just a "catch-word of the day."

Globalization has been mistakenly framed as (a) a modern phenomenon that occurred in the aftermath of the First and Second World Wars; (b) a Western-led phenomenon. In fact, globalization far predates the 20th century and far transcends the Western hegemony that has defined the modern world. The story of globalization is not equal to the story of the rise of the United States as a superpower or even just the rise of the West as a global colonial and imperial force. Globalization in World History accomplishes the central goal of "re-mapping the geography of the subject" in order to "point the way towards a truly global history of globalization."

The central theme of Globalization in World History, which is a collection of seemingly disparate essays, is that globalization has been taking place for centuries and is an ever-evolving feature of the human landscape.

Globalization in World History is an "analysis of the origins, nature and consequences of globalization" including the "economics, politics, and sociology of the phenomenon,"

Drawing from authors whose expertise range from China to Islam, Hopkins acknowledges the "historical diversity of globalizing forces."

In other words, globalization is far from the singular phenomenon that it is described as being today. The form that globalization takes might be different today due to new technologies, but historians envision the "unevenness of the process of globalization."

Globalization looked different to the Venetians than it does to the Americans.

One of the most salient themes of Globalization in World History is that the phenomenon is far from being a Western-driven historical trend. In fact, the earliest manifestations of what can be reasonably called globalization were not Western but Eastern phenomenon. Hopkins includes authors whose scholastic inquiry lends insight into the roles that India, China, Southeast Asia, and Arabia have played in the unfolding of globalization, global empires, and global economic, social, and political hegemony. Even a cursory glance at world history reveals that globalization has been a trend for several centuries before the European conquest of the Americas. Only an American-centric position would remain beholden to the idea that globalization happened only since Coca-Cola and McDonalds became big.

Hopkins aims to exhibit and elaborate on the "non-Western dimensions of globalization" and also reveal its historical manifestations.

The non-Western dimensions of globalization are explored by authors like Amira Bennison, who writes about the role of Islam on the world stage. In fact, Islam was and in still is a driving force in the phenomenon of globalization. The authors and the editor Hopkins also describe the historical unfolding of globalization from a neutral perspective. "The antiquity and importance of non-Western forms of globalization" remains the central tenet of Hopkins's work.

China also played a central, albeit downplayed role, in the history of globalization. Author Hans van de Ven describes the ways by which the Tang dynasty impacted globalization. The most compelling aspect Globalization in World History is the way archaic or pre-modern globalization set the stage for current or post-modern globalization. Hopkins essentially re-maps but also re-conceptualizes globalization, to provide what the editor calls "a truly global history of globalization."

Globalization is also not a static phenomenon that is singular to this time, space, and place. Rather, globalization is ongoing. It "remains an incomplete process" in world history. Globalization "promotes fragmentation as well as uniformity," and is not, as modern commentators sometimes claim, purely a precursor of homogeneity.

There is and has always been a regional bias in globalization, according to the author. This regional bias might now rest with the West but that balance of power could easily and rapidly shift. The nation-state and industrialization might be modern features of current globalization but the urban centre has always been a feature of globalization. Cities are not a modern phenomenon, although the modern manifestation of cities with skyscrapers is superficially unique.