Asia in the past nurtured great civilisations and cultures, some of which withstood the onslaughts of the mighty West. After suffering from the evils of colonial rule, Asia today is poised to occupy the centre stage of the world arena, with India, China and Japan playing leading role. In this context, it is all the more necessary for college and university students in Asia and the west to acquaint themselves with the history of Asia. Hence this book. The book is different from others of this genre, as it connects the ancient and medieval Asia with the modern world. It ideals with the history of each country in its geographical setting with the interaction and impact of neighbouring countries. Early migrations, settlements, formation of kingdoms and empires, socio-economic aspects of Islamic conquests and the advent of Western powers are all accounted for. The modern period (up to 2004) is treated in a detailed manner covering topics like colonisation, impact of Western civilisation, the rise of nationalism and the achievement of independence. The current history highlights subversion of democracies, ushering in of military rule, ethnic conflicts, movements for the restoration of democracy, oppression of minorities, economic issues, nuclear proliferation and the war on terror -- all in a fascinating manner -- with maps, bibliography, and an index to stimulate reader's interest.

In a radically new account of the importance of early Africa in global history, Gomez traces how Islam's growth in West Africa, along with intensifying commerce that included slaves, resulted in a series of political experiments unique to the region, culminating in the rise of empire.

Annotation World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500 offers a comprehensive introduction to the history of humankind from prehistory to 1500. Authored by six USG faculty members with advance degrees in History, this textbook offers up-to-date original scholarship. It covers such cultures, states, and societies as Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Israel, Dynastic Egypt, India's Classical Age, the Dynasties of China, Archaic Greece, the Roman Empire, Islam, Medieval Africa, the Americas, and the Khanates of Central Asia. It includes 350 high-quality images and maps, chronologies, and learning questions to help guide student learning. Its digital nature allows students to follow links to applicable sources and videos, expanding their educational experience beyond the textbook. It provides a new and free alternative to traditional textbooks, making World History an invaluable resource in our modern age of technology and advancement.

Somaliland is an example of a territory that has fulfilled the conditions that are pre-requisite for state recognition in the international system. Somaliland is however, not recognised as a state. Questions abound about why Somaliland finds itself in this situation when there are territories which obtained recognition after fulfilling a fraction of what Somaliland has achieved. This study contributes to answering the aforementioned questions. This study has certain objectives. It delved into the examination of the criteria that is used for the recognition of states in the international system. It also analyses the role of intergovernmental organizations in the non-recognition of Somaliland. The objective of this study is also to make an assessment of the nature of interactions between Somaliland, and other actors in the international system.

This book contributes towards the integration of the R&D function with regard to societies, nations, industries and organizations, as well as to leaders within organizations. It covers the management aspects and approaches to R&D management and provides information on the major contexts of R&D such as in production, HR, marketing and finance – functions that are essential to attracting, developing and retaining scientific manpower. The book further elaborates on organizations’ human strategic prospectives. It also suggests various types of practices to help organizations achieve their objectives and analyzes how R&D can contribute to technology, innovation and science to improve organizations’ productivity. In closing, it discusses some of the challenges faced by developing countries and presents R&D management from a global perspective.

"A fascinating history of…[a craft] that preceded and made possible civilization itself." —New York Times Book Review New discoveries about the textile arts reveal women's unexpectedly influential role in ancient societies. Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and wearing the first clothing created from spun fibers. In fact, right up to the Industrial Revolution the fiber arts were an enormous economic force, belonging primarily to women. Despite the great toil required in making cloth and clothing, most books on ancient history and economics have no information on them. Much of this gap results from the extreme perishability of what women produced, but it seems clear that until now descriptions of prehistoric and early historic cultures have omitted virtually half the picture. Elizabeth Wayland Barber has drawn from data gathered by the most sophisticated new archaeological methods—methods she herself helped to fashion. In a "brilliantly original book" (Katha Pollitt, Washington Post Book World), she argues that women were a powerful economic force in the ancient world, with their own industry: fabric.

This comprehensive overview analyzes the people, places, and issues at the heart of modern Europe's major historical events. An ideal reference guide to the period, this work highlights the various developments and changes that occurred in Europe within the last 200-plus years and examines the participation of the major European powers in each. Topics include the Napoleonic era, the unification of Italy and Germany, Victorian England, fascism and Nazism, the Cold War, and the expansion and consolidation of the European Union.

No one has hitherto had the breadth of imagination and intellectual boldness to describe and analyse government throughout recorded history and throughout the world. This unique study of government is the culmination of the work of the late S. E. Finer, one of the leading political scientists of the twentieth century. Ranging over 5,000 years, from the Sumerian city state to the modern European nation state, five themes emerge: state-building, military formats, belief systems, social stratification, and timespan. The three volumes examine both representative and exceptional polities, and focus on political elites of different types. Ancient Monarchies and Empires opens with Finer's masterly Conceptual Prologue, setting out the entire scope and structure of The History . Books One and Two then consider early examples of the predominantly palace' type of polity, notably in respect of the Kingdoms of Egypt and the Empires of Assyria, Persia, Han China, and Rome; interspersed with consideration of the exceptional' Jewish Kingdoms and the Greek and Roman Republics.

Chart the course of history through the ages with this collection of oversize foldout charts and timelines. Timeline of World History is a unique work of visual reference from the founders of the Useful Charts website that puts the world's kingdoms, empires, and civilizations in context with one another. A giant wall chart shows the timelines and key events for each region of the world, and four additional foldout charts display the history of the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East. Packed with maps, diagrams, and images, this book captures the very essence of our shared history.