Facts do not cease to

exist because they are ignored.

Aldous Huxley

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

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

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

But problems emerge:

All systems of periodization are more or less arbitrary

Labels are continually challenged and redefined

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

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

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 different 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.”)

Periodization in World History 8000 BCE-600 CE (Foundations)

Neolithic Revolution Urban Revolution Rise of Civilizations River Valley Civilizations and expansionist

civilizations Regional trade/conflict

Periodization in World History

600 BCE-600 CE (Classical Era) P- foundations of democracy, Classical empires: Han,

Rome, Gupta, Persian, Greek I- increased irrigation, underground irrigation in

Persia, expansion of road systems R- development/spread of world religions

Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism A- Classical art (Greece/Rome), Golden Age (India)

Sculptures, frescos, pottery, architecture, theatre T- Iron tools, weapons E- Roman trade routes, Silk Roads emerge, currency S-patriarchal, expansion of slavery

600 CE-1450CE (Post-classical) P- Feudalism (Europe, Japan), new empires:

Mongols, Islamic Empires I- terraced farming, fast-ripening rice, spread of

crops R- spread of world religions, Christianity,

Buddhism, Islam A- Golden Age for China, Abbasid T-siege weapons, E-expansion of Silk Roads, Mongol promotion of

trade, Islamic unification of trade S-patriarchal, serfdom, military elite, civil service

officials in China

1450-1750 (The Early Modern Period)

P- Conquest & New Empires, absolutismI- Exploration, plantation economiesR-Reformation, Syncretism A- Renaissance, Scientific Revolution)T- Exploration Commercial Revolution)

1750-1914 (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

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

Themes of World History Interaction between humans and the environment

Demography and disease Migration Patterns of settlement Technology

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

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

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

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.

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?

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.