The Origins of Capitalism and the Rise of the

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 of 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.

Eric H. Mielants is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, in the College of Arts and Sciences, at Fairfield University.

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Perspectives on the Origins of Merchant Capitalism in Europe	p. 1
Orthodox Marxism	p. 1
Brennerism (or the Brenner Approach)	p. 2
The Modernization Theory	p. 7
World-Systems Analysis	p. 11
Temporal Predisposition	p. 12
Spatial Predisposition	p. 30
The Inter-City-State System of the Middle Ages	p. 31
Tentative Conclusions	p. 42
The Political Economies of China and Europe Compared	p. 47
The Chinese Socioeconomic Revolution during the Sung Dynasty (circa 900-1280)	p. 48
China and the Mongols	p. 55
Ming China and Europe: Divergent Paths	p. 60
Conclusions vis-a-vis European Capitalism	p. 77
The Political Economies of South Asia and Europe Compared	p. 86
Trade and Commodity Flows in the South Asian Region	p. 86
States and State Structures in South Asia	p. 93
The Strategies of Elites in South Asia and Europe	p. 102
The Impact of the Perilous Frontier	p. 112
Conclusions	p. 121
The Political Economies of Western Europe and Northern Africa Compared	p. 125
Northern Africa and the Sudanic States (circa 1200-1500)	p. 125
North African Cities, States, and the Balance of Power in the Mediterranean	p. 136
Conclusions	p. 143
Conclusion: Was the Western-European City-State in the Middle Ages a European Miracle?	p. 154
Bibliography	p. 163
Index	p. 237
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Origins of Capitalism and the "Rise of the West"

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials