Abstract:

Both oceanic history and plant history are recent developments in historiography. This talk will discuss how the two schools enhance the study of global history and reshape our views about the making of the modern world. As a continual effort to critique the nation-state focus in 19th century historiography, which began with the French Annales School in the early 20th century, historians in more recent decades have shifted attention from land to ocean and from people to plants, analyzing how the two played their parts in shaping worldwide historical development. Discussing these new attempts will help us see the inter-continental connections and transcend Eurocentrism in historical writing.

Bio:

Q. Edward Wang, Professor of History and Coordinator of Asian Studies Program at Rowan University and Changjiang Professor of History at Peking University, serves on the board of International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography. His main publications include A Global History of Modern Historiography (2008, 2017); Turning Points in Historiography: A Cross-Cultural Perspective (2005); Marxist Historiographies: A Global Perspective (2017) and, most recently, Historiography: Critical Readings (2021).