HIST 080C. The Whole Enchilada: Debates About World Histories

What happens when you try to write the history of everything? In this course, we will read classic works that attempt to provide a universal account of all of human history and some of the contradictions and problems that follow from this scope of narrative and analysis. We will also discuss whether universal history is inevitably tied to modern European thought and the rise of colonialism, and possible strategies for decolonizing global history. Readings will include the Book of Genesis, the work of Rashad al-Din and Ibn Khaldun, Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West, Janet Abu-Lughod's Before European Hegemony, Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature, and David Graeber and David Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything. 
Eligible for GLBL-paired.
Fall 2022. Burke.
Catalog chapter: History
Department website: https://swarthmore.edu/history


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