A History of Civilizations [Paperback]

An illuminating account of contemporary civilizations from one of France's greatest post-war historians

Written from a consciously anti-ethnocentric approach, this fascinating work is a survey of the civilizations of the modern world in terms of the broad sweep and continuities of history, rather than the event-based technique of most other texts.

A History of Civilizations examines the Muslim world, Africa, the Far East, Western Europe (from the fall of the Roman Empire to political union), Eastern Europe, the European civilizations of the New World, and the English-speaking universe. List of Maps
Translator's Introduction
By Way of Preface
Introduction: History and the Present Day

I. A History of Civilizations
1. Changing Vocabulary
2. The Study of Civilization Involves All the Social Sciences: Civilizations as geographical areas; civilizations as societies; civilizations as economies; civilizations as ways of thought.
3. The Continuity of Civilizations: Periods within civilizations; underlying structures; history and civilization

II. Civilizations Outside Europe
Part I. Islam and the Muslim World
4. History: Islam as a successor civilization: the Near East in new form; the history of the Near East; Muhammad, the Koran and Islam; Arabia: the problem of a barely urbanized culture.
5. Geography: Islam's lands and seas; a continent as intermediary: trade-routes and towns.
6. The Greatness and Decline of Islam: No Muslim civilization before the eighth or ninth century; the golden age of Islam: eighth to twelfth centuries; science and philosophy; stagnation or decadence: twelfth to eighteenth centuries.
7. The Revival of Islam Today: The end of colonialism and the birth of new nationalist movements; Muslim States in the ml³³