Big History
Big History is a discrete field of
historical study that arose in the late
1980s. It examines
history on a large scale across long time frames through a multi-disciplinary approach.
Big History looks at the past on all time scales, from the
Big Bang to
modernity, seeking out common
themes and
patterns. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach from the latest findings in
biology,
astronomy,
archeology,
anthropology, etc.
Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the
20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across the entire time scale of history. The study of history is typically limited to the written word, yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and leaves out the vast majority of history. Big History examines the links among different fields of study and weaves a common narrative along thematic lines.
The first courses in Big History were experimental ones taught in the late
1980s by John Mears at
Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas) and by
David Christian at
Macquarie University (Australia), and more recently at
San Diego State University. Since then, a number of other universities have offered similar courses.
The first book in Big History was published in 1996 by
Fred Spier:
The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across all time scales.
As of 2005, the essential text in Big History is David Christian's
Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores history from the first micro-seconds of the Big Bang and the creation of the solar system, to the origins of life on earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution, modernity, and the 20th century. Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective of time scales.
*
World History â€" a discrete field of historical study that uses similar techniques.
*
Prehistoric civilizationsGuns, Germs and Steel*
Historic recurrence*David Christian.
Maps of Time: Introduction. 2004. Introduction chapter from the book.
*David Christian.
World History in Context. 2003. Christian makes the case that human history is significant across all time scales.
*David Christian.
"The Case for Big History". 1991. An early essay.
*David Christian (2004).
Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. ISBN 0520235002
*Fred Spier (1996).
The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today. ISBN 9053562206
