MACMILLAN Thinking History Globally

The book brings together many recent trends in writing history under a common framework: thinking history globally. By thinking history globally, the book explains, applies, and exemplifies the four basic strategies of analysis, the big C's: comparing, connecting, conceptualizing, and contextualizing, using twelve different branches of history. Review "This book is one of those remarkable volumes that is, at once, a basic guide to undergraduate students and a sophisticated roadmap for leaders in the profession… Professor Olstein developed his interpretation not only out his particular strengths of mind but because of his experience around the world... His skill in proposing clear historical generalizations makes it possible for readers to join him in seeing the order that lies within all the complexity of the world's detail." - Patrick Manning, University of Pittsburgh, USA "… How do you adopt a 'global' approach to the past? Over the last few decades, scholars have answered this question in a bewildering number of ways… Thinking History Globally brings order to this chaos… [It] examines the deep logic of historical thinking, and highlights what must be changed if we are to adopt a truly global outlook. Since nowadays it makes little sense to think about history except in global terms, what Thinking History Globally really seeks to do, is to redefine the historical discipline." - Yuval Noah Harari, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel “What is global history? It has clearly been on the rise lately, but its ascent has been coupled with much confusion as to how to define it, what it means, and how it can be written. Diego Olstein has boldly set out to bring some order to the chaos. The result is a systematic, original, and thought-provoking volume that will repay reading by anyone who is interested in the new frontiers of the historical profession, from beginning students to grizzled professionals.” - Erez Manela, Harvard University, USA "This is a very important book dealing with the challenge of thinking about history beyond single nation states and continents. With great talent for systematizing complex research landscapes, the author carefully differentiates between various historiographical approaches. Moreover, he identifies various patterns of thinking about history on larger scales illustrating the multifaceted nature of this growing field. It is one of the great merits of this book that its rich academic reflections do not only remain at an abstract, definitional level. Quite to the contrary, Olstein skillfully refers to illustrative examples and historical case studies, making the book also highly useful for a student audience." - Dominic Sachsenmaier, Jacobs University, Germany “In this imaginative, learned, and lively book Diego Olstein shows us many ways that scholars have been moving well beyond national frameworks. Historians are not only looking at how national histories are alike and different, but at how they are connected. With great verve, and insight, this book puts on display a dozen ways of doing so. In telling us about the past achievements of history across borders he contributes mightily to its future." - John Markoff, University of Pittsburgh, USA Review "This book is one of those remarkable volumes that is, at once, a basic guide to undergraduate students and a sophisticated roadmap for leaders in the profession Professor Olstein developed his interpretation not only out of his particular strengths of mind but because of his experience around the world... His skill in proposing clear historical generalizations makes it possible for readers to join him in seeing the order that lies within all the complexity of the world's detail." - Patrick Manning, University of Pittsburgh 'What is global history? It has clearly been on the rise lately, but its ascent has been coupled with much confusion as to how to define it, what it means, and how it can be writte