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The origins of capitalism can be found in the Middle Ages
The Origins of Capitalism and the "Rise of the West"
Eric H. Mielants
"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."
—Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale University
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.
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.
Reviews
"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."
—Christopher Chase-Dunn, Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside
"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."
—International Socialism
"Overall, Mielants’ timely book offers a well-thought argument that bucks a popular, ahistorical trend locating the ‘rise of Europe’ in very specific conditions that emerged only in the 18th or even the 19th century. Summing Up: Essential."
—Choice
Contents
Acknowledgments v
Introduction viii
Chapter 1: Perspectives on the Origins of Merchant Capitalism in Europe 1
Orthodox Marxism 1
Brennerism (or the Brenner Approach) 2
The Modernization Theory 7
World-Systems Analysis 11
Temporal Predisposition 13
Spatial Predisposition 32
The Inter-City-State System of the Middle Ages 33
Tentative Conclusions 45
Chapter 2: The Political Economies of China and Europe Compared 49
The Chinese Socioeconomic Revolution during
the Sung Dynasty (c. 900-1280) 50
China and the Mongols 57
Ming China and Europe: divergent paths 63
Conclusions vis-ŕ-vis European Capitalism 81
Chapter 3: The Political Economies of South Asia and Europe Compared
(c. 1200-1500 AD) 90
Trade and Commodity Flows in the South Asian Region 90
States and State Structures in South Asia 97
The Strategies of Elites in South Asia and Europe 107
The Impact of the Perilous Frontier 117
Conclusions 127
Chapter 4: The Political Economies of Western Europe and Northern
Africa Compared 131
Northern Africa and the Sudanic States (13th-15th Centuries) 131
North African Cities and States and the Balance of
Power in the Mediterranean 142
Conclusions 150
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Was the Western-European City-State in the Middle Ages a European Miracle? 162
Bibliography 171
About the Author(s)
 | Eric H. Mielants is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, in the College of Arts and Sciences, at Fairfield University. |
Subject Categories
Sociology
Political Science and Public Policy
Philosophy and Ethics