Introduction: East and West, North and South

This lecture offers a broad context, raising the key questions to be pursued in all eight topics of the theme paper. Why did some globally significant technologies originate in Asia centuries before they reached the West? How, when, and by what routes did they move westward? Why did some of these technologies only show their potential to change entire societies when they reached the West? What technological innovations were indigenous to the West, and how do we account for Europe’s new-found technological inventiveness during this period? Key topics will also be used to introduce you to broader debates in general historiography and global history.