This roundtable discussion will explore the usefulness of ‘early modernity’ as a category of historical analysis. The discussion will begin with reflections by three scholars whose work cuts across the boundaries of Ottoman, Eurasian and global history, before opening up to wider discussion. All participants are encouraged to read the following articles in advance, which can be obtained upon request from john-paul.ghobrial@history.ox.ac.uk:
· Jack A. Goldstone, ‘The Problem of the “Early Modern” World’, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 41.3 (1998), 249-284.
· Sanjay Subrahmanyam, ‘Connected Histories: Notes towards a Reconfiguration of Early Modern Eurasia’, Modern Asian Studies 31.3 (July 1997), 735-762.