Hoerder_cultures

By: Guillermo Pineda

Online Access: http://www.issuu.com/condottiero/docs/hoerder_cultures

CULTURES BOOK IN REVIEW CONTACT

December 20, 2011

December 20, 2011

CULTURES IN CONTACT

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Main argument Dirk Hoerder’s work is an encyclopedic work on migrations and global history. Its more than 700 pages compile the history of global migrations during the last 2000 years. The book is divided in four parts that richly illustrate the history of five migration periods in different contexts and migration types. The first part of the book studies presents a reconceptualization of the scope, patterns and theory in regard to the study of Global Migrations. Great part of the beginning of the book defines core concepts: agency, networks, historical contextualization, flows of migrations and assimilation, transnationalism (after 19th century).

The book’s major contribution is contextualizing global migrations outside of the previous Eurocentric perspective of that emphasized large-­‐scale migrations in an (Atlantic centric context). Emphasis is given to Asian migrations and to the impact of migrations around the globe. The author dismantles the argument of centric-­‐periphery discussion in terms of global migrations by emphasizing that after 2000 years of migrations it is impossible to identify a single coherent “pure” and culturally self-­‐contained group of humans.

Among the important contributions of the book is the author’s emphasis in the fact that distinct societies arise from special traits in migration movements and global interconnections. More so, his argument elaborates via case studies how these migrations shaped current cultures by means of agency.

Periods of Migrations 1-­‐2 Multicivilizational Mediterranean and Black Sea World

Caravan traders on trans-­‐Saharan routes -­‐ migrations

Latin and Byzantine Christendom, Sunni and Shiite Islam.

European migrations to Africa, Asia and America.

Mid 15th. Century -­‐ 19th.

Century

1500s

Periods of Migrations 2-­‐3 Industrialization migrants

World Wars

Large global migrations of labor forces

Large movements of refugees and relocation of people

19th. Century

First half of the 20th. Century

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CULTURES IN CONTACT

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Periods of Migrations 5 Interconnected ]lows of people in the Globe Flows of returning people to former colonies, urbanization processes in the less developed world, "multi-­‐colored societies".

1950s to Present

Levels of Analysis The levels of analysis in the globalization processes part from the identification of global migration systems that are universal and ongoing historical processes. Hoerder takes special attention to women’s migrations and to a “meso-­‐ level analysis” which he explains as the “global arena” and its interconnections that can be contextualized in time and periods by the interaction of migration patterns. He expands this by analyzing specific cases of global migrations: Genoese slave trade, Italian-­‐born miners and workers in Missouri, and British women sent as domestic labor to South Africa, among others.

Still needed

Further analysis

Absence of conne ctions and culture destruction

Communities and

Society

Evaluate more old er literature

Meso-­‐level analysi s

Contextualize the sou Clarify gender rol

rces

es in context

December 20, 2011

CULTURES IN CONTACT

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December 20, 2011

CULTURES IN CONTACT

page 5