A Concise History of the World
A Concise History of the World
Telling the story of humankind from the Paleolithic to the present, this book widens and lengthens human history. Renowned historian Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks brings a new perspective to world history by examining social and cultural developments across the globe, including families, kin groups, gender hierarchies, sexuality, race and ethnicity, labor, religion, consumption, and material culture. She examines how these structures and activities changed over time, highlighting key developments that defined eras, such as the growth of cities or the creation of a global trading network. The book makes comparisons and generalizations, but also notes diversities and particularities. This new edition includes updates to each chapter, drawing on material from the history of the emotions, Indigenous history, material culture studies, and the history of sexuality. Wiesner-Hanks also expands discussions of climate and the environment, and examines the matters that are at the heart of big questions in world history today.
- Extensively revised and updated edition of a popular and widely adopted coursebook, designed to appeal to a new generation of students and scholars of world history
- Draws on new material from the history of the emotions, Indigenous history, material culture studies, and the history of sexuality to broaden the story of human history beyond politics and great men to a huge range of topics
- Written in accessible language and supported by a website with original sources, this book is ideal for introductory courses
Reviews & endorsements
'Few authors have the courage to write a short history of the long human career, and fewer still have the skill to pull it off. Merry Wiesner-Hanks succeeds admirably in fashioning an intelligible story out of the seeming chaos of history. Her book is unique among world histories in the extent of its attention to gender, marriage, family, inequality, and other social themes.' John McNeill, author of The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History
'Merry Wiesner-Hanks has long been at the forefront of analyzing world historical processes through the lenses of social, gender, and environmental history. This second edition of A Concise History of the World uses these approaches to offer a refreshingly sophisticated and nuanced analysis of the global past.' Craig Benjamin, author of Empires of Ancient Eurasia
'A unique and fascinating exploration of the world from early human history to the present. Unlike other texts that tend to be dominated by political and economic narratives, [this book] takes social and cultural issues, particularly those focused on gender, the family, sexuality, and material culture, as its primary focus … A Concise History of the World is a truly refreshing approach to global human history, written by a master in the field.' Heather Streets-Salter, author of Modern Imperialism and Colonialism: A Global Perspective
Product details
- Published: June 2026
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9781009724173
- Length: 427 pages
- Dimensions: 216 × 140 mm
- Weight: 0.406kg
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Foraging and farming families, to 3000 BCE
- 2. Cities and classical societies, 3000 BCE–500 CE
- 3. Expanding networks of interaction, 500 CE–1500 CE
- 4. A new world of connections, 1500 CE–1800 CE
- 5. Industrialization, imperialism, and inequality, 1800 CE–2025 CE .
- Show more
