World History Through Case Studies - 2nd Edition by David Eaton (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This innovative textbook demystifies the subject of world history through a diverse range of case studies. Each chapter looks at an event, person, or place from prehistory to the present and from across the globe - from the Kennewick Man to germ warfare, Japanese industrialization and modern-day soccer - and digs deeper, examining why historians disagree on the subject and why their debates remain relevant today. Through these case studies David Eaton 'unwraps the textbook', introducing key skills and debates and showing that past is not nearly as tidy as most textbooks suggest.

This fully revised second edition includes updated historiography throughout plus:
- New discussion questions and chapter learning objectives
- Additional primary source texts, images and maps
- Four new chapters on Gender and the Mongols, the Swahili Coast c.1100-1300, the Itaipu Dam and indigenous rights, and Ebola outbreaks in modern West Africa
- A new companion website and online resources

Posing provocative questions and demonstrating how historical interpretations can be influenced by contemporary concerns, World History through Case Studies shows how the study of history is relevant to a new generation of students and teachers.

Review Quotes

"Praise for the 1st edition:

'David Eaton's inventive approach offers students a way to see and take part in the detective work that goes into analyzing and understanding the past. His case studies of key historical issues about which there is contemporary debate range widely across time and space. They provide a fresh perspective on commonly-taught topics in ways that will intrigue students, such as exploring globalization through South Africa's hosting soccer's World Cup, and also allow them to explore issues that rarely make it into textbooks but should, such as the impact of the horse.'" --Merry E Wiesner-Hanks, President of the World History Association and Distinguished Professor Emerita of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA

"In this new approach to world history, David Eaton helps his readers acquire the skills of the historian, and demonstrates how these skills can be applied to the construction of reliable knowledge both in the discipline of history, and in life more generally." --Craig Benjamin, Associate Professor of History, Grand Valley State University, USA

"David Eaton's book is a game changer for teaching world history because it centers historiographical debates that are the beating, messy heart of our discipline. Breath-taking in thematic, temporal and geographical range, it also digs deep into well-chosen case studies with panache. The great French scholar Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie once divided historians into 'parachutists', searching out grand patterns for below them, and 'truffle hunters', their noses buried in the fine-grained details. With this book, budding historians and their teachers should trust Prof. Eaton to both pack their chutes and find them the tastiest morsels. A must read." --Gerard McCann, Lecturer in African and Global History, University of York, UK

About the Author

David Eaton is Associate Professor of World and African history at Grand Valley State University, USA. He received his PhD from Dalhousie University in 2008, and co-hosts On Top of the World: A World History Podcast. His doctoral research focused on the history of cattle raiding along the Kenya-Uganda border, and he has published articles in several journals including Nomadic Peoples, World History Connected, and African Affairs.