European Modernity: A Global Approach

Review

“[The] authors do not resort to jargon, and though the authors’ different writing styles manifest themselves in the work, the ideas of the whole are retained. Excellent text for historiography. Good endnotes; no separate bibliography; good index.” - CHOICE

Product Description

It is often taken for granted that modernity emerged in Europe and diffused from there across the world. This book questions that assumption and re-examines the question of European modernity in the light of world history.

Bo Stråth and Peter Wagner re-position Europe in the global context of the 19th and 20th
centuries. They show that Europe is less modern than has been assumed, and modernity less European and thus decentre Europe in a way that makes room for a wider historical perspective. Adopting a thematic structure, the authors reconceive the idea of European modernity in relation to key topics such as democracy, capitalism and market society, individual autonomy, religion and politics.

European Modernity is an important addition to the literature that will be of interest to all students and scholars of modern European history.

Book Description

Surveys the historiography concerning the concept of modernity and questions how modern Europe is and, conversely, how European modernity is.

About the Author

Bo Stråth is Emeritus Professor of Nordic, European and World History at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He also taught contemporary history at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Martti Koskenniemi is Professor of International Law at the University of Helsinki, Hauser Global Visiting Professor of Law at New York University and Director of the Erik Castren Institute of International Law and Human Rights.