“Globalisation” – Old wine in new bottles

What is new about “globalisation”? The slender volume penned by the two Constance historians provides a comprehensive answer. Osterhammel and Petersson have produced an eloquently written, clearly structured and thoroughly researched book showing that globalisation is not a phenomenon of the present, but is rooted in structures and processes that were forged in the late 15th century when Europe set about subjugating the world – with expeditions, military raids, the establishment of worldwide trade links, emigration and slave-trading. Since then, the network of global relations has become increasingly dense. Here, the authors succeed in pulling off the none-too-easy task of portraying the economic, political and cultural dimensions of that process without lapsing into superficiality. On the contrary, they pack their book with a surprising amount of information, even covering the stalled (non-European) attempts at globalisation that pre-dated 1500. This volume fulfils with gusto its claim to give “historical depth” to the current political debate.