ABSTRACT
The study of world history reflects a keen desire among historians to bring some comprehensive understanding to the entire sweep of human history. This is the hope of many world historians, and the author suggests that our particular approach to world history will help us do so. Most world history texts give a biased view of history by treating only a subset of these key themes, and often treat one theme at a time rather than stressing interactions. A world history focus instead seeks to understand how different outcomes have emerged in different societies and to identify global trends, useful comparisons, and important interactions across regions. The growing emphasis on interdisciplinarity also reflects the thematic focus that has come to characterize world history.
