Over the past five centuries, advances in Western understanding of and control over the material world have strongly influenced European responses to non-Western peoples and cultures. In Machines as the Measure of Men, Michael Adas explores the ways in which European perceptions of their scientific and technological superiority shaped their interactions with people overseas. Adopting a broad, comparative perspective, he analyzes European responses to the cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China, cultures that they ...
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Over the past five centuries, advances in Western understanding of and control over the material world have strongly influenced European responses to non-Western peoples and cultures. In Machines as the Measure of Men, Michael Adas explores the ways in which European perceptions of their scientific and technological superiority shaped their interactions with people overseas. Adopting a broad, comparative perspective, he analyzes European responses to the cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China, cultures that they judged to represent lower levels of material mastery and social organization. Beginning with the early decades of overseas expansion in the sixteenth century, Adas traces the impact of scientific and technological advances on European attitudes toward Asians and Africans and on their policies for dealing with colonized societies. He concentrates on British and French thinking in the nineteenth century, when, he maintains, scientific and technological measures of human worth played a critical role in shaping arguments for the notion of racial supremacy and the "civilizing mission" ideology which were used to justify Europe's domination of the globe. Finally, he examines the reasons why many Europeans grew dissatisfied with and even rejected this gauge of human worth after World War I, and explains why it has remained important to Americans. Showing how the scientific and industrial revolutions contributed to the development of European imperialist ideologies, Machines as the Measure of Men highlights the cultural factors that have nurtured disdain for non-Western accomplishments and value systems. It also indicates how these attitudes, in shaping policies that restricted the diffusion of scientific knowledge, have perpetuated themselves, and contributed significantly to chronic underdevelopment throughout the developing world. Adas's far-reaching and provocative book will be compelling reading for all who are concerned about the history of Western imperialism and its legacies.
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Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Britain and Ireland, to cart. $10.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Britain and Ireland, to cart. $10.28, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Britain and Ireland, to cart. $10.28, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Britain and Ireland, to cart. $10.28, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men to cart. $15.88, very good condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, to cart. $16.09, very good condition, Sold by Magers and Quinn Booksellers rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Minneapolis, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, to cart. $18.24, like new condition, Sold by Doss-Haus Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Redondo Beach, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell University Press.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, to cart. $20.50, good condition, Sold by A2ZBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Burgin, KY, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell Univ Pr.
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Seller's Description:
Good Condition. Text appears to have multiple markings such as highlighting, underlining & writing. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Education; ISBN: 0801497604. ISBN/EAN: 9780801497605. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561036724.
Add this copy of Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, to cart. $26.50, very good condition, Sold by A2ZBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Burgin, KY, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Cornell Univ Pr.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good Condition. Very Good-Text appears to have multiple markings. Cover has some wear and corner bumps. Spine is in very good condition. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Education; ISBN: 0801497604. ISBN/EAN: 9780801497605. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1561047689.
