Week #5 Post (Chapters 14-16)

One thing that stood out to me in Chapter 14 was the demise of the nomadic way of life due to the empire building of Russia and China. I found the pastoral nomadic lifestyle fascinating. I admired their uniqueness in a world of agricultural society. Strayer states, “The incorporation of the heartland of Eurasian nomads into the Russian and Chinese empires eliminated permanently as a major actor on the historical stage the nomadic pastoralists, who had been the strongest alternative to settled agricultural society since the second millennium B.C.E.” This alternative type of society made history more interesting and less homogenous.

The Reflections section of Chapter 14 addresses the very important topic of Eurocentrism in history. Strayer uses the content and organization of this chapter to discuss the topic. He makes the point that he intentionally “places the more familiar narrative of European colonization of the Americas alongside the less well-known stories of Russian, Chinese, Mughal, and Ottoman empire building.” In general, I think Strayer does an admirable job of not being Eurocentric, and giving all peoples throughout history their due. In fact, at times he goes out of his way to highlight traditionally less prominent cultures.

Strayer defends the placement and quantity of the European story in this chapter by making some important distinctions. He believes that the Western European empires in the Americas were both “something wholly new in human history,” and “had a far heavier impact on the peoples they incorporated than did the others.” I agree with Strayer and believe that he does a fine job balancing the uniqueness of the European story with the importance of other prominent societies of the time. It is not an easy task to find that balance, and many people will disagree on this issue depending on an individual’s perspective. However, I think the most important point here is that the blind Eurocentrism of the not so distant past has decreased, and the awareness of the importance and contributions of other cultures is increasing.