Alex M. Feldman – författare

What is the line between the ancient and medieval worlds? 330? 476? 800? Most historians acknowledge that these are arbitrary distinctions, but they remain nevertheless, taking on lives of their own. Alex Feldman is challenging us to see them as the same world, except for the imposition of a given monotheism.In this process, he studies top-down, monotheistic conversions in Western Eurasia and their respective mythologisations, preserved both textually and archaeologically, serving as the foundation of recognisable state-formation. Applying this idea to Byzantium’s policies around the Black and Caspian Seas, he reveals how what we today call the ‘Migration-Age’ continued perpetually up to the Mongolian invasions and perhaps later. This book enhances our understanding, not only of Western history, but presents it in the context of global monotheisation.

What is the line between the ancient and medieval worlds? 330? 476? 800? Most historians acknowledge that these are arbitrary distinctions, but they remain nevertheless, taking on lives of their own. Alex Feldman is challenging us to see them as the same world, except for the imposition of a given monotheism.In this process, he studies top-down, monotheistic conversions in Western Eurasia and their respective mythologisations, preserved both textually and archaeologically, serving as the foundation of recognisable state-formation. Applying this idea to Byzantium's policies around the Black and Caspian Seas, he reveals how what we today call the 'Migration-Age' continued perpetually up to the Mongolian invasions and perhaps later. This book enhances our understanding, not only of Western history, but presents it in the context of global monotheisation.

This book offers an alternative narrative of the global history of political economy. From ancient civilizations to modern times, zero-sum logic has been a fundamental, yet often ignored, driving force behind political and economic systems worldwide. The authors reveal the contradictions within various ideologies –particularly liberalism and neoliberalism– that claim win-win scenarios while in fact relying on zero-sum principles. By examining systems from mercantilism to digital economies, the book shows how zero-sum logic underpins diverse economic and political doctrines, including authoritarianism, democracy, and policies like austerity. It combines economic history, political philosophy, historical sociology, and geopolitics in an interdisciplinary approach and comprehensive analysis. The book uncovers how zero-sum logic has historically informed both ideology and practice, challenging prevailing narratives and highlighting the paradoxes within our global economic system. The book will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers from these disciplines, interested in a better understanding of the economic dynamics that shape our world, and the need for a new, cooperative approach to global political economy.