Born Again: Globalization's Sixteenth Century Origins (Asian/Global Verus European Dynamics)

Globalization began when all heavily populated land masses began interacting – both directly and indirectly via other land masses – in a sustained manner with deep consequences for all interacting regions. Globalization emerged during the sixteenth century. Dynamism emanating from within China played a pivotal role. Valid hypotheses concerning globalization's emergence must accommodate evidence from numerous disciplinary debates. Discussion of globalization's birth in terms of economic issues alone – for example, O’Rourke and Williamson's price convergence of the 1820s – is doomed. The central role of economic history – including Chinese economic history – becomes salient when arguments are formulated in the context of a multidisciplinary, global historical narrative.