5 - From divergence to convergence: centrifugal and centripetal forces in history

Summary

World historians recognize the need for a framework that encompasses the full range of human history, embraces all types of people, and acknowledges that globalization is not a passing fad but a significant outcome of deep historical forces. In aid of that enterprise this chapter looks at history in terms of two dominant historical trends: divergence and convergence. From the beginning most of history was a story of divergence: humans' biological and cultural differentiation as they evolved and dispersed across the planet. For the past millennium, history has been dominated by convergent forces, of which globalization is the latest phase. During this era the Great Convergence, human interaction, trade, and intercommunication have increased at a rapid rate. The long millennia during which biological and cultural diversification were dominant can be called the Age of Divergence. Pairing divergence and convergence as coequal themes makes it easier to talk about diversity as a norm, not an exception.