-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: European Dominance: Project of Global Division
Date: 17-Jul-97 at 06:29
From: james m blaut, 70671,2032
TO: INTERNET:ROZOVnit.nsu.ru,INTERNET:ROZOVnit.nsu.ru
Dear Nikolai:
The Papal Bull in question was issued in 1493, as a consequence of the
discoveries by Portuguese and Spaniards. Before 1492 there was no "project of
world invasion."
Intensive geographical studies in the late Middle Ages -- yes; exploration of
the western Atlantic islands and finding out what the Arabs already knew -- not
a great design for world conquest. Geographical societies date maiunly from the
19th century.
There were (I believe) six great fleet-voyages under Admiral Cheng Ho
(c.1410-1433), most of them into the Indiaan Ocean. But Chinese merchants had
been trading in India centuries earlier.
Please don't conflate imperial expansions of Rome, etc., with the expansion of
Europe -- the latter presupposed the development of many things including
primitive merchant capitalism. Any mercantile-maritime civilization in the 15th
century could have broken thropugh the system boundary to the Western Hemisphere
-- but only the Europeans were accessible enough in that era to accomplish this.
I'm afraid you have contracted the occupational disease of world-systems
theorists: ignoring time and space in order to find parallels among Large
Things. In fact: a very acute form of the disease: ignoring the fact that
culture change is evolutionary, not random.
But you will "See The Light" now that you have my book.
Cheers
Jim Blaut