The East in the West

by Jack Goody

Overview

The East in the West reassesses Western views of Asia, which much European history and social theory has seen as "static" or "backward." Jack Goody challenges these Eurocentric assumptions, including the notion of a special Western rationality, and differences in mercantile activity. Other factors "inhibiting" the East's development, such as the role of the family, have also been greatly exaggerated, and have contributed to a misunderstanding of both Eastern and Western history and society. This wide-ranging and provocative book begins to redress the balance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521556736
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/21/1996
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.94(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: the West's problem with the East; 1. Rationality in review; 2. Rationality and ragioneria: The Keeping of Books and the Economic Miracle; 3. Indian trade and Economy in the Medieval and Early Colonial Periods; 4. The Growth of Indian Commerce and Industry; 5. Family and business in the East; 6. From collective to individual? The historiography of the family in the West; 7. Labour, Production and Communication; 8. Revaluations.

Editorial Reviews

"The book will be appreciated by modern Asian scholars....Goody's presentation is compact yet informative, provocative, and at the same time elegant. The author certainly brings freshness into a timeworn dialogue. The reading list at the end of the book is admirable." Arun Das Gupta International History Review

"This book should be read by every social scientist and historian who is concerned about the problem of Eurocentrism. It should be assigned to students in a wide range of courses in history, sociology, geography, and of course anthropology. This book is important." Science & Society

"This book should be read by every social scientist and historian who is concerned about the problem of Eurocentrism." J.M. Blaut, Science & Society

From the Publisher