Domesticating the World - (California World History Library) by Jeremy Prestholdt (Paperback)

About the Book

" Ingeniously stands the study of globalization and trade on its head."--Edward Alpers, Chair of Department of History, UCLA

Book Synopsis

This book boldly unsettles the idea of globalization as a recent phenomenon--and one driven solely by Western interests--by offering a compelling new perspective on global interconnectivity in the nineteenth century. Jeremy Prestholdt examines East African consumers' changing desires for material goods from around the world in an era of sweeping social and economic change. Exploring complex webs of local consumer demands that affected patterns of exchange and production as far away as India and the United States, the book challenges presumptions that Africa's global relationships have always been dictated by outsiders. Full of rich and often-surprising vignettes that outline forgotten trajectories of global trade and consumption, it powerfully demonstrates how contemporary globalization is foreshadowed in deep histories of intersecting and reciprocal relationships across vast distances.

From the Back Cover

" Ingeniously stands the study of globalization and trade on its head."--Edward Alpers, Chair of Department of History, UCLA

Review Quotes

"The breadth and methodological approach, along with the singularity of its content, make this book a highly necessary addition to the ever-growing body of scholarship on globalization."-- "Journal Of World History" (9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Domesticating the World comes at an important moment in the development of globalization studies."--Jessica Lynn Achberger "World History Bltn" (6/30/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"This is truly a remarkable and important book. It is extremely well written, includes some wonderful pictures and illustrations, and is very accessible and engaging for scholars and students."--Dorothy L. Hodgson "American Historical Review" (12/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Jeremy Prestholdt is Assistant Professor History at the University of California, San Diego.