90000 - History of Globalization in Early Modern Age

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will know the early modern era from a broad perspective, including historiographical issues deriving from a non-Eurocentric approach, the major fault-lines in global relations, the most significant events in the history of empires and the complex causes of migratory phenomena. Taking an active part in lessons, students will learn to decipher the connections, hang-overs and social, environmental, cultural and religious transformations of the early modern world and have a critical grasp of the questions prompting research on early globalization with its lasting impact on the style of contemporary conflicts and on today's society. The lively learning environment involves analysis of facts, interpretation of models and sources, and links to the geographic and social sciences. Students will acquire a critical methodological approach and apply theoretical models of interpretation to social and institutional processes, identifying the relevant sources.

Course contents

The course, divided into two modules, aims to explore the processes of the so-called globalization of the world between the 15th and 19th centuries. Starting from a critical examination of the recent debate on global history and microhistory, it will outline the history of non-European political formations, the rise of colonial empires and their legitimization. Additionally, it will demonstrate how different world regions became interconnected, the origins of the modern slave trade, the economic system that emerged after the 15th century, the role of commercial diasporas, the religious and cultural effects of European expansion, and Western interpretations of the non-European world.

First Part (Chiara Petrolini)

In the first part of the course, we will examine and problematize certain ideas, terms, methods, and fundamental issues in historical research on the globalization of the early modern period. By highlighting the Western and European origins of many of these categories, we will see how and why to "provincialize" the modern history of Europe. We will then analyze the formation of great empires, the role of world religions (Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism) in their expansion, and the encounters (both conflictual and peaceful) among different regions, cultures, and belief systems. Throughout the course, we will emphasize how the climate change that marked the early modern period influenced, or at least affected, globalization processes.

Week 1: Introduction to the lexicon of world history; presentation of the historiographical debate on the methods and issues of global history; the problem of periodization and the invention of the early modern period.

Week 2: The world's balance of power from the end of the 15th century. The rise and expansion of the three predominantly Muslim empires: the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Persian Empire, and the Mughal Empire.

Week 3: The world's balance of power from the end of the 15th century: the Chinese sphere and Japan.

Week 4: The Iberian Peninsula and Catholic expansion; Catholic propaganda and missionary campaigns; mass conversions to Catholicism and forced baptisms; the hierarchy of cultures.

Week 5: Travels, encounters, and hybridizations: some case studies in Asia, the Americas, and Africa.

Second Part (Giulia Bonazza)

These are the topics that will be covered during the lectures in the second module:

Week 1: Sub-Saharan Africa; Slavery and global trade; Early European classifications of civilizations

Week 2: The new colonial empires: The Netherlands; The new colonial empires: France; Sea empires, Land empires: Early imperial theories

Week 3: The new colonial empires: England and Great Britain; Cultural connections between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic; Wars around the world: British hegemony in the late modern period

Week 4: The Atlantic Revolutions; The American Revolution; The Haitian Revolution

Week 5: The Ibero-American Revolutions; Unfree labor and migrations; Imperialism

Readings/Bibliography

All students, whether attending or not, must study two of the following volumes:

Marco Bellabarba, Vincenzo Lavenia (eds.), Introduzione alla storia moderna, 2nd ed., Bologna, Il Mulino, 2023 (except chapters X-XIII, XV-XVII, XXII-XXIII, XXVI, XXVIII, XXXIV, XXXVIII, XXXIX)
Charles H. Parker, Relazioni globali nell'età moderna, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2012
Storia del mondo. Vol. 3 Imperi e oceani. 1350-1750, edited by Wolfgang Reinhard, Jurgen Osterhammel, Akira Iriye, Einaudi, 2016
Timothy Brook, Il cappello di Vermeer. Il Seicento e la nascita del mondo globalizzato, Einaudi, 2015

Additionally, they must choose two of the following texts:

Ronnie Po-chia Hsia, Un gesuita nella città proibita. Matteo Ricci 1552-1610, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2012
Francisco Bethencourt, Razzismi. Dalle Crociate al XX secolo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017
Herbert S. Klein, Il commercio atlantico degli schiavi, Roma, Carocci, 2014
Olivier Pétré-Grenouilleau, La tratta degli schiavi. Saggio di storia globale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004
Jeremy D. Popkin, Haiti. Storia di una rivoluzione, Torino, Einaudi, 2020
Timothy Brook, Il leopardo di Kublai Khan Una storia mondiale della Cina, Einaudi, 2020
Toby Green, Per un pugno di conchiglie. L’Africa occidentale dall’inizio della tratta degli schiavi all’Età delle rivoluzioni, Torino, Einaudi, 2019
John H. Elliott, Imperi dell'Atlantico. America britannica e America spagnola, Torino, Einaudi, 2010 (Introduction and then choose one of the following options: 1) first part and second part 2) second part and third part 3) first part and third part)
Francesca Trivellato, Il commercio interculturale. La diaspora sefardita, Livorno e i traffici globali in età moderna, Roma, Viella, 2016
Nicholas Terpstra, Global Reformations Transforming Early Modern Religions, Societies, and Cultures, Routledge, 2019
Carlo Ginzburg, Storia notturna. Una decifrazione del sabba, Torino, Einaudi, 1989 (reprint Adelphi 2017)

Non-attending students must also read the following text:

Laura di Fiore, Marco Meriggi, World History. Le nuove rotte della storia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011

Additional required or optional readings may be indicated during lectures by the professors.

As an alternative to this program, attending students can choose to write a paper (approximately 8,000 words) by agreeing with the professors on a research topic relevant to the course and an adequate bibliography.

Teaching methods

Lectures and powerpoint presentations, reading and discussion of sources and texts

All teaching materials will be made available on Virtuale.

Regular attendance and participation in the text commentary exercise conducted during the lessons are strongly encouraged.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview. During the interview, the knowledge acquired, the ability to synthesize, and the critical skills developed by the student will be evaluated, based on the exam bibliography and engagement with the topics covered.

The evaluation will consider:

• Mastery of the content
• Ability to synthesize and analyze themes and concepts
• Ability to express oneself appropriately and with language suited to the subject matter.

Attending students can choose to write a paper (approximately 8,000 words) by agreeing with the professors on a research topic relevant to the course and an adequate bibliography.

Students who, due to disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA), need compensatory or dispensatory tools must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti .

Office hours

See the website of Chiara Petrolini

See the website of Giulia Bonazza