European Modernity

It is often taken for granted that modernity emerged in Europe and diffused from there across the world. This book questions that assumption and re-examines the question of European modernity in the light of world history. Bo Stråth and Peter Wagner re-position Europe in the global context of the 19th and 20th centuries. They show that Europe is less modern than has been assumed, and modernity less European and thus decentre Europe in a way that makes room for a wider historical perspective. Adopting a thematic structure, the authors reconceive the idea of European modernity in relation to key topics such as democracy, capitalism and market society, individual autonomy, religion and politics. European Modernity is an important addition to the literature that will be of interest to all students and scholars of modern European history.

Bo Stråth is Emeritus Professor of Nordic, European and World History at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He also taught contemporary history at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

Part I. The Question of European Modernity 1. Introduction: Modernity - Europe - European Modernity 2. What is Europe? Part II. Key Features of European Modernity Reconsidered 3. Europe's Hesitation with Democracy 4. The Industrial and Market Revolution in Global Perspective: The Colonial Heritage and the Social Question 5. European Religion: The Christians and the Others 6. The European: Atom - Individual - Person - Subject? PART III Transformations of European Modernity 7. The Axial Age and Modern Europe 8. The Great Transformation: Organized Modernity for Welfare and Warfare, 1870s - 1960s 9. The New Great Transformation: The Global Challenge of Historical injustice and Movements for Collective Self-determination: 1960s - The present Epilogue Bibliography Index