Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley E. Napp

What is periodization? Periodization is the dividing or categorizing of time into separate sections Why do historians use periodization? To distinguish one cluster of interrelated historical events from another in order to discover a pattern for change E. Napp

To identify significant shifts in those patterns in terms of discontinuities or turning points, which serve as the start and end of periods E. Napp

To highlight trends or events that appear dominant or important during a particular span of time E. Napp

But problems emerge: All systems of periodization are more or less arbitrary Labels are continually challenged and redefined E. Napp

How can periodization help explain the J-curve of explosive population growth on the planet? E. Napp

Definition of Periodization: A conceptual tool that makes change over time manageable by identifying big changes Implied Watersheds: Developments or events that occurred in world history affecting the most people E. Napp

Three Overlapping Shifts: Three overlapping shifts across societies must occur for a new period of world history to be identified The world map must change significantly (Cultural, political, or economic boundaries; migrations) New kinds of contacts must be established among civilizational areas (New trade patterns, outreach of religions) New parallelisms must arise in patterns displayed by major civilizations (Example: “The fall of the great empires meets the requirements. Cultural and political boundaries shifted in India and the Mediterranean world. Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam spread widely. The Islamic world replaced India as the most expansive civilization.” ) E. Napp

Periodization in World History 8000 BCE-600 CE (Foundations) Neolithic Revolution, Urban Revolution, Rise of Civilizations, River Valley Civilizations and expansionist civilizations (classical world) E. Napp

600 CE-1450CE (Post-classical) Significant for the spread of the “world religions” even though some like Christianity and Buddhism began to spread before this period while Islam spread during this period, the political systems which followed the classical empires - the Han, Roman, and Gupta Empires - fell at different times but by the 7 th century, post- classical political systems were emerging E. Napp

(The Early Modern Period) The Portuguese began exploring the coast of Africa in the 15 th century and by the end of century, Europeans had reached both the Americas and the East Indies. The intellectual (Renaissance, Scientific Revolution), social (Protestant Reformation), economic (Commercial Revolution), and political (absolutism) changes in European impacted other regions. However, changes were occurring elsewhere in the world that also had global significance (Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, Mings, the cessation of Zheng He’s explorations, primacy of Moscow over Kiev, and the end stage of feudalism in Japan). E. Napp

(The Modern Era) The Enlightenment, revolutions in the Americas, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and a second round of European imperialism led to a shift in Europe and the West’s relationship to other regions E. Napp

1914-Present (Contemporary) The beginning of many “modern” changes in technology and accelerated global interactions, the World Wars, the collapse of European imperialism, the Cold War and its impact on former colonial regions, American hegemony E. Napp

Themes of World History Interaction between humans and the environment Demography and disease Migration Patterns of settlement Technology E. Napp

Development and interaction of cultures Religions Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies Science and technology The arts and architecture E. Napp

State-building, expansion, and conflict Political structures and forms of governance Empires Nations and nationalism Revolts and revolutions Regional, transregional, and global structures and organizations E. Napp

Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems Agricultural and pastoral production Trade and commerce Labor systems Industrialization Capitalism and socialism E. Napp

Development and transformation of social structures Gender roles and relations Family and kinship Racial and ethnic constructions Social and economic classes

Explain the quote: “Strictly speaking, there are no periods in history, only in historians’ analyses.” Why is the debate on historical dating (BC versus BCE…AD versus CE) a source of concern for world historians? What criteria can historians use to make distinctions among sections of time? List the top ten technological developments prior to the Industrial Revolution. E. Napp

Consider the question posed by Joan Kelly: “Did women have a Renaissance?” Why is this question significant for world historians and how does this question present a challenge to the notion of periodization? World historians are very interested in social class structures. How can social class structures alter the telling of history? E. Napp

Consider this: The three Cs of World History: Change, Connections, and Comparison allow for a framework for analysis for exploring the themes of World History. E. Napp