Eric H. Mielants: The Origins of Capitalism

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#CC0000" alink="#CC0000"><center><hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade>The origins of capitalism can be found in the Middle Ages<hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade><p><a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_add_query.cgi/7700/1886_reg.ctl" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_modify_query.cgi" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_checkout.cgi" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><img src="1518_reg.gif" height=200 border=1 vspace=4></p></center><h1>The Origins of Capitalism and the "Rise of the West"</h1> <h3>Eric H. Mielants</h3> <P>cloth 1-59213-575-7 $64.50, Jun 07, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <br>paper 1-59213-576-5 $25.95, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <BR> 256 pp 6x9 </P><BLOCKQUOTE><I>"A major contribution to the worldwide debate on the origins of the modern world. It is controversial, encompassing in its survey of the data and the literature, and bound to be included in all further discussions."</i><br><b>&#151Immanuel Wallerstein</b>, Yale University</I></BLOCKQUOTE> <p> Eric Mielants provides a fresh, interdisciplinary interpretation of the origins of modernity in general and of capitalism in particular. He argues that, contrary to established thinking, the "Rise of the West" should not be examined through the lens of the Industrial Revolution or the colonization of the New World but viewed through long-term developments that began in the Middle Ages. <p> A fascinating overview of civilizations in East Asia, South Asia, and northwestern Africa is provided and then systematically compared to developments in Europe at the same time. Utilizing this analysis, the book addresses some of the most important current debates in world history, comparative sociology, political economy, sociological theory and historical sociology. Mielants uncovers the ways that existing theories (such as Marxism, World-Systems Theory, and Smithian Modernization Theory) have suffered from either Eurocentric or limited temporal and spatial analyses, preventing them from fully explaining the reasons behind the emergence of capitalism in Western Europe. <BR> <h2>Reviews</h2> <i>"The strength of this book is its careful comparisons among regions and the strong effort to overcome the Eurocentrism that has undeniably been a great plague on our efforts to comprehend and explain the rise of the West."</i><br><b> &#151Christopher Chase-Dunn</b>, Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside <p><i>"Mielants has pulled together a vast mass of material and challenges hypotheses that have been in danger of being repeated as unquestionable dogmas in some circles." </i> <br><b><i>International Socialism</i></b> <BR> <h2>Contents</h2><P> Acknowledgments v<br> Introduction viii<br> <p> Chapter 1: Perspectives on the Origins of Merchant Capitalism in Europe 1<br> Orthodox Marxism 1<br> Brennerism (or the Brenner Approach) 2<br> The Modernization Theory 7<br> World-Systems Analysis 11<br> Temporal Predisposition 13<br> Spatial Predisposition 32<br> The Inter-City-State System of the Middle Ages 33<br> Tentative Conclusions 45<br> <p> Chapter 2: The Political Economies of China and Europe Compared 49<br> The Chinese Socioeconomic Revolution during the Sung Dynasty (c. 900-1280) 50<br> China and the Mongols 57<br> Ming China and Europe: divergent paths 63<br> Conclusions vis-à-vis European Capitalism 81<br> <p> Chapter 3: The Political Economies of South Asia and Europe Compared (c. 1200-1500 AD) 90<br> Trade and Commodity Flows in the South Asian Region 90<br> States and State Structures in South Asia 97<br> The Strategies of Elites in South Asia and Europe 107<br> The Impact of the Perilous Frontier 117<br> Conclusions 127<br> Chapter 4: The Political Economies of Western Europe and Northern Africa Compared 131<br> Northern Africa and the Sudanic States (13th-15th Centuries) 131<br> North African Cities and States and the Balance of Power in the Mediterranean 142<br> Conclusions 150<br> <p> Chapter 5: Conclusion Was the Western-European City-State in the Middle Ages a European Miracle? 162<br> Bibliography 171 </P><BR> <H2>About the Author(s)</H2> <table><tr><td valign="top"><img src="/tempress/authors/1886_au.gif" height="90" width="75"></td><td width="100%" valign="middle"><p><b>Eric H. Mielants</b> is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, in the College of Arts and Sciences, at Fairfield University.</P></td></tr></table> <BR><H2>Subject Categories</H2> <p><A HREF="/tempress/sociology.html" TARGET="_top">Sociology</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/political.html" TARGET="_top">Political Science and Public Policy</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/philosophy.html" TARGET="_top">Philosophy and Ethics</a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_add_query.cgi/7700/1886_reg.ctl" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_modify_query.cgi" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/sc_checkout.cgi" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><font face="Arial" size="1"><a href="copyright.html" onMouseOver="window.status='Web Copyright Policy';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Web Copyright Policy">©</a> 2008 <a href="http://www.temple.edu" target="new" onMouseOver="window.status='Link to Temple University home page';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Link to Temple University home page">Temple University</a>. 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