Fernand Braudel was France's foremost post-war historian. He is best known for The Mediterranean in the Age of Philip II, Civilization and Capitalism and The Identity of France. Richard Mayne is a renowned translator of French. His other translations include Monet's Memoirs.

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• List of MapsTranslator's IntroductionBy Way of PrefaceIntroduction: History and the Present DayI. A History of Civilizations1. Changing Vocabulary2. The Study of Civilization Involves All the Social Sciences: Civilizations as geographical areas; civilizations as societies; civilizations as economies; civilizations as ways of thought.3. The Continuity of Civilizations: Periods within civilizations; underlying structures; history and civilizationII. Civilizations Outside EuropePart I. Islam and the Muslim World4. History: Islam as a successor civilization: the Near East in new form; the history of the Near East; Muhammad, the Koran and Islam; Arabia: the problem of a barely urbanized culture.5. Geography: Islam's lands and seas; a continent as intermediary: trade-routes and towns.6. The Greatness and Decline of Islam: No Muslim civilization before the eighth or ninth century; the golden age of Islam: eighth to twelfth centuries; science and philosophy; stagnation or decadence: twelfth to eighteenth centuries.7. The Revival of Islam Today: The end of colonialism and the birth of new nationalist movements; Muslim States in the modern world; Muslim civilization in the twentieth century.Part II: Africa8. The Past: Geography; the dark past.9. Black Africa: Today and Tomorrow: The awakening of Africa; economic and social issues at stake; art and literature.Part III: The Far East10. An Introduction to the Far East: What geography shows; barbarism against civilization: the evidence of history; distant origins: the reasons for cultural immobility.11. The China of the Past: Religion; politics; social and economic affairs.12. China Yesterday and Today: The time of imposed treaties: China as humiliated victim (1839-1949); China renewed; Chinese civilization in the modern world.13. India Yesterday and Today: Ancient India (before the British Raj); British India (1757-1947): an ancient economy at grips with the modern West; Will India be spared a Chinese-style revolution?14. The Maritime Far East: Indo-China; Indonesia; The Philippines; Korea.15. Japan: Japan before Chinese influence; Japan learns from Chinese civilization; modern Japan.III. European CivilizationsPart I: Europe16. Geography and Freedom: Europe takes shape: fifth to thirteenth centuries; liberty and rights: eleventh to eighteenth centuries.17. Christianity, Humanism, and Scientific Thought: Christianity; humanism and humanists; scientific thought before the nineteenth century.18. The Industrialization of Europe: The origins of the first Industrial Revolution; the spread of industrialism in Europe (and beyond); socialism and industrialism.19. Unity in Europe: Outstanding art and culture; economic interdependence; political delay.Part II: America20. Latin America, the Other New World: Geography; nature and society: literature bears witness; racial problems: quasi-fraternity; the economy: civilizations on trial.21. America par excellence: The United States: A reassuring past: opportunities and setbacks; colonization and independence; conquering the West; industrialization and the growth of towns.22. Failures and Difficulties: From Yesterday to the Present: An old nightmare: Black America, an ineradicable colony; capitalism: from the trusts to State intervention and oligopoly; the United States in the world.23. An English-speaking Universe: In Canada: France and Britain; Southern Africa: Dutch, British, and Blacks; Australia and New Zealand, or Britain at last unchallenged.Part III: The Other Europe: Muscovy, Russia, the USSR and the CIS24. From the Beginning to the October Revolution of 1917: Kiev; the Russian Orthodox Church; Greater Russia.25. The USSR After 1917: From Marx to Lenin; Marxism and Soviety civilization; the Congress of October 1961.Index

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   Aktuellt om kulturer

   I dagens Sverige förekommer olika uppfattningar om kulturers vara eller inte vara. I den här boken redogör Fernand Braudel om skillnader mellan civilisationer. Där olika kulturer förs samman till civilisationer. Därför är den högaktuell även om den skrevs redan för 50 år sedan och omarbetats något därefter. Politiska förhandlingar från slutet av 1950- och början på 1960-talen beskrivs som dagsaktuella och som läsare kan jag konstatera att inga dagspolitiska problem är nya och att politikens kvarnar mal långsamt. Men det viktiga är beskrivningarna av hur olika civilisationer utvecklats till vad de är och de stora skillnader som en multikulturiell politik måste övervinna för att lyckas. Bakgrunder och utvecklingar vilka ingen kan bortse ifrån.

   Bo E

   02 augusti 2016