Buch, Englisch, 206 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 360 g
Buch, Englisch, 206 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 360 g
Reihe: Innovations in International Affairs
ISBN: 978-0-367-76390-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Based on the author’s long experience in academic life and the public realm, especially in foreign policy, this book argues that a single categoric classification of cities is inadequate, and that cities have had different and varied impacts and positions throughout the history of civilization.
The author examines how the formation, transformation, destruction or reestablishment of many civilizational cities reveals a clearer picture of the cornerstones of the course of human history. These cities, which play a decisive and pivotal role in the direction of the flow of history as well as providing us with a compass to guide our efforts to understand and interpret this flow, are conceptualized by the author as civilizations’ "pivot cities". This innovative book explores the role of great cities in political historical change, presenting an alternative view of these pivot cities from a culturalist perspective. Within this framework, the role played by pivot cities in the history of civilization may be considered under seven distinct headings: pioneering cities which founded civilizations; cities which were founded by civilizations; cities which were transplanted during the formation of civilizations; "ghost cities" which lost their importance through shifts in political power and civilizational transformation; "lost cities" which were destroyed by civilizations; cities on lines of geocultural/geoeconomic interaction; and cities which combine, transform or are transformed by different civilizations. The author’s concept of pivot cities explores the interplay between vital cities and civilizations, which bears on the future of globalization at a time of instability, as projected continuing de-Westernization becomes a theme in studies of global history.
This book provides highly productive discussions relevant to the literature on city-civilization relationships and the historicity of pivot cities. Its clear language, rich content, deep and original perspective, interdisciplinary approach and rich bibliography will ensure that it appeals to students and scholars in a variety of disciplines, including cultural studies, political science, comparative urban studies, anthropology, history and civilizational studies.
Zielgruppe
Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced
Weitere Infos & Material
Preface Part I. Intellectual Experiences and Methodological Framework 1. Introduction: Intellectual Background 2. Critical Analysis of City Historiography: A Methodological Framework Part II. The Role of Pivot Cities in the History of Civilizations 3. Civilization-Founding Pivot Cities: Pioneering Cities 4. Pivot Cities Founded by a Civilization: The Rise of Cities as Political Centers after the Formation of a Civilizational Paradigm 5. Pivot Cities Transplanted During the Formation of Civilizations: Alexandrian, Ottoman and Modern Networks of Cities 6. "Ghost Cities": The Decline of Pivot Cities Through Power Shifts and Civilizational Transformation 7. "Lost Cities": Pivot Cities Liquidated with a Civilization 8. Pivot Cities on Lines of Geoeconomic/Geocultural Interaction: Centers of Civilizational Encounters Part III. Transforming/Transformed Pivot Cities Where Civilizations Meet 9. Jerusalem: The Soul of Civilizations’ History and Spiritual Transformation 10. Cairo and Civilizational Interaction: The Transformative Power of Place 11. Istanbul: A Civilization-Blending Subject City
