Reorienting the 19th Century: Global Economy in the Continuing Asian Age

Andre Gunder Frank was a path-breaking scholar in several disciplines over an illustrious and contentious 50-year career. Premier among his many important works is the book, ReORIENT: Global Economy in the Asian Age, which sought to correct a Eurocentric worldview of the development of the global political economy. As Gunder Frank continued his research, he realized that many of the myths of European industrialization, hegemony, and capitalism hid the fact that Asia remained a serious power not just into the 18th century, as he argued in 1998, but well into the 19th century as well. Gunder Frank passed away in April 2005 while working on this new book, a sequel to ReORIENT. His colleagues rallied to finish it and it is presented here as Andre Gunder Frank's final major statement. His prescience is remarkable today as we see the continuation of Asian influences and ascendancy.