Cultural Change in Modern World History: Cases, Causes and Consequences

Description

In this innovative textbook, leading world historian Peter Stearns analyses key examples of culture change from around the world, highlighting what culture change involves and how it can be explained and assessed, both historically and in the contemporary world. Culture change is one of the most interesting and significant features of human society, but until now there has been no book for the classroom which looks explicitly at this phenomenon. Cultural Change in Modern World History covers different kinds and levels of culture change since 1500 - from colonial culture contact in British India to modernization in Meiji Japan and changing attitudes towards gay marriage in the past decade - considering how we should define culture change, how to deal with causation and how to evaluate continuities and consequences. Stearns addresses fundamental questions: why do groups of people change their beliefs and values, and what happens when they do? Conversely, why do some groups resist culture change, and how do some manage to combine novel and more traditional cultural components? Figuring out how better to understand why groups or societies change their minds - or refuse to do so - provides a crucial perspective on human behaviors and values. As the first book to explore this important question, Cultural Change in Modern World History is a ground-breaking text for students of world history, cultural history and anthropology.

Peter N. Stearns is Provost Emeritus and Professor of History at George Mason University, USA. He is the author of numerous books on world history including Sexuality in World History (2nd edition, 2017), Globalization in World History (2nd edition, 2016) and Debating the Industrial Revolution (Bloomsbury, 2015).

In this wide-ranging study, Peter Stearns combines a fine overview of cultural change with some perceptive case-studies. He offers a lucid, well-organized and accessible introduction to a complex subject. * Peter Burke, Emeritus Professor of Cultural History, University of Cambridge, UK * Peter Stearns is always worth reading. His new book is an exhilarating analysis of why cultures change -- sometimes with alarming speed -- and why other cultures persist with traditional ways of thinking and acting. Stearns and his two co-authors tackle case studies as different as left-handedness, gender politics, and regime revolution. The emphasis throughout is on causation and the impact of global contacts. It is a book that encourages us to think anew about our societies. * Joanna Bourke, Professor of History, Birkbeck, University of London, UK * At a time of sweeping cultural change, we need broad perspective on the phenomenon. This rich volume offers just that, bringing change in culture to the forefront of historical analysis to help us understand what it is and how it impacts lives-in both the past and the present. * Darrin M. McMahon, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of History, Dartmouth College, USA *