Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times

by Jerry H. Bentley

This study examines cross-cultural encounters before 1492 AD, focusing on the major influences that transformed Asia and Europe during that period. The author examines the political, social, economic and cultural conditions that enabled one culture to influence or suppress another.

Genres: History, World History, Nonfiction, Politics, The World, Anthropology, Theory

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 1992

About the author

Jerry H. Bentley was professor of history at the University of Hawaii and editor of the Journal of World History.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great history- if my students had actually done the assigned reading last semester I think they would have gotten a lot out of this book. I know very little about world history in that fall of Rome through Renaissance period, those years like 745 and 972 and 1128. Lots of stuff was happening. Chinese Buddhist pilgrims were traveling to India to learn from senior monks, Nestorian Christians were walking across Asia to try to find a place for their faith in China, the Pope was sending missionaries up to my pagan ancestors in England, and trying to get them to stop being so pagan. Most of this book involves cultural exchange along trading routes, but there is less about the trade and more about the cultures. When things get a little dry Bentley usually manages to spice it up a bit with a good anecdote.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It is well written, not too long, both broad enough to apply to many different contexts at once and precise enough with its examples that it stands strong. An excellent work for pre-modern world history, focused on cultural exchanges.

[Monica Bond-Lamberty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when APWH included Ancient World History.
The now-deceased Bentley argued strongly for the inclusion of Ancient history and this book shows some of the relevance of the topic.
It was interesting but not a fast read. It got tedious at times but was super informative.

[John Shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book; the author warps the timeline at points (jumping hundreds of years back and forth), which can make it hard to follow, but the overall narrative was easy to follow.

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s so outdated and boring. Only read it because of a class

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is best examined in comparison to what we know about so-called "New World Encounters." Bentley's framework here of three types of "social conversion": voluntary conversion; assimilation; and conversion in response to political, economic, and social pressure. While the vast majority of "New World Encounters" came about due to pressure, voluntary conversion and assimilation had a much bigger role to play prior to 1500. I thought this was an excellent framework and a useful read, and considering how short it was, I was impressed with the number of solid examples Bentley provided.

I hesitate to give it 5 stars because of its complete neglect of gender. I don't think that every historical study needs to focus on gender issues, but studies of social issues pretty much always need to look at gender. There is very little here about the role of women in the process of conversion.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview. A little old, perhaps; not essential.