Re: how many world-systems in 1400 AD ?; rep two

Gert,

Another source, but one where you would need to do the counting, would be Eric 
Wolf's 1982, Europe and the People without History.  It is an excellent 
compendium of the world around 14000, with sufficient detail that you could 
count according to several different criteria.

tom hall


>===== Original Message From g kohler <kohlerg@3web.net> =====
>I have an historical question that I meant to ask someone in the know for
>some time. I understand that by one definition there has always been only
>one world economy and one world system. But let's think of the hyphenated
>definition a la California school of WS which leads to the identification of
>multiple world-systems.(Not sure whether Wallerstein would count differently
>from Chase-Dunn.) How many world-systems were there in 1400 AD ? (Bill Gates
>should make it easier to ask the same question in terms of other calendars -
>Chinese, Jewish, Islamic, but let's stay with AD.)
>
>Here in Canada, there might have been at least 3 world-systems at that
>time - one at the Pacific coast, one in the North (Inuit) and one between
>the prairies and the Atlantic coast. Several more in North, Central and
>South America. Australia was probably a world-system by itself. Add Europe,
>Asia, Africa - the total number of world-systems (definition of California
>school) could have been quite considerable. Is there an historical WS atlas?
>
>I picked 1400 AD, because it was before Columbus etc and before the fall of
>Constantinople to the Osmans, but after the Mongol invasions in Europe, and
>before the "discovery" of most of Africa by Europeans.
>
>Just curious. Any takers?
>Thanks,
>Gert

Thomas D. [tom] Hall
Chair,
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Chair, Faculty Development Committee
306 Asbury Hall
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN 46135
dept: 765-658-4516
off:  765-658-4519
web:  http://acad.depauw.edu/~thall/hp1.htm