When the West Seizes the World (15th to 21st Centuries)

While modernization is a social phenomenon that has taken many forms throughout history, it’s clear that since the 15th century, the West has imposed itself – often by force of arms or propaganda – as the model of modernity. Whether voluntarily or not, hundreds of societies have been transformed under its influence, so that, for the first time, they have all become part of a common history. But what were the different modalities of this vast mutation? To what extent were certain societies able to integrate into this overall movement, while retaining specific traits that differed from, or even opposed to, what was promoted by the West? After all, you can become Westernized without becoming Westernized. And how can we distinguish between irreversible transformations and those that can now be called into question?
For a long time, the belief in progress led us to believe that economic development, the evolution of morals and political democratization went hand in hand. The collapse of this myth now makes it possible to better characterize what was really at stake in the globalization driven by industrial capitalism, and thus to understand the challenges facing Western societies today, which are facing exacerbated hostility and may be on the verge of losing the economic, political and military leadership that fuelled their expansion.
Drawing on a lifetime of research into the workings of societies, Maurice Godelier offers here a rereading of the birth and rise of the modern world, and an uncompromising assessment of the role and place of the West.