Velká divergence: soudobé debaty o ekonomické modernizaci Asie a Evropy a počátcích globální ekonomiky v 17. a 18. století
The Great Divergence: Contemporary Debates on the Economic Modernization of Asia and Europe and the Origins of the Global Economy in the 17th and 18th centuries

Summary/Abstract: This review article presents scholarly debates in the field of “Big History” since the late 20th century. Pomeranz’s groundbreaking book, Great Divergence, serves as a key reference throughout the article. It analyzes the interpretive approaches of the California School, to which Kenneth Pomeranz is often attributed. The initial section of the article provides a concise summary of the fundamental approaches to the Great Divergence until the conclusion of the 20th century. Joel Mokyr categorizes these into four groups: the Social Change School (e.g., Karl Polanyi), the Industrial Organization School (e.g., Joshua Freeman), the Macroeconomic School (e.g., Walt Rostow), and the Technological School (e.g., Alfred Crosby). The second section of this article provides a concise analysis of Pomeranz’s book and his primary arguments within the interpretation of the California School. The third section is essential and outlines the ongoing debates on the crucial factors that explain the causation of the Great Divergence. These mainly address the interpretations of Chinese and Indian developments, as well as the explanations of new analytical concepts such as the industrious revolution, little divergence, and useful knowledge. Attention is also brought to the ongoing problem of Eurocentrism in history and the efforts to more rigorously pursue the ideal of global history.

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