After Eden: A Short History of the World - Hardcover

by John Charles Chasteen (Author)

In After Eden, prominent Latin American historian John Charles Chasteen provided a concise history of the world, in which he explores the origins and persistence of the timeless phenomena of humanity's inhumanity to itself. Where did it come from? Why has it been so prevalent throughout our history? And, most importantly, can we overcome it? Chasteen argues that to do so, we must understand our shared past. While much of that past is violent, we can look for inspiration from major periods when we strived to live more cooperatively, such as our early foraging periods, to the creation of universal religions and ethical systems, the birth of the ideas of individual liberty and freedom, the rise of socialism in response to the massive excesses of global capitalism, the civil rights and decolonization movements of the twentieth century, to the environmental and social justice movements of today.

Once we understand who and what we are as a species and a people, we will be in the best position to figure out how to work together to tackle the greatest challenges we face today--mass global inequality and the destruction of our environment. Fully informed by the latest scholarship, After Eden presents a down-to earth, fast-paced narrative of world history, animated by stories of people from all walks of life and enriched by insightful analysis and the author's extensive world travel.

Back Jacket

Praise for Born in Blood and Fire by John Charles Chasteen, the #1 best-selling history of Latin America

"Concise yet satisfying, Chasteen...looks at critical Latin American events ranging from the original encounter of Europeans with the indigenous peoples of Latin America to the present day destruction of the Amazonian rain forest....Also refreshing is Chasteen's examination of the periods he covers from the perspective of women...who played a central role....From the glorious and bloody battles for independence, through the trying periods of post- and neocolonialism, the finding of 'national' identity and the more recent anti-Communist dictatorships from the 1960s to the 1980, to hope for a future of true democracy, this is a comprehensive and illuminating history."
--Publishers Weekly

"With Latin America an ever more important trading partner (and source of new U.S. citizens), many readers will appreciate historian Chasteen's brief but insightful historical analysis of this region. 'Conquest and its sequel, colonization...created the central conflict of Latin American history, ' Chasteen points out. The conquerors Europeanized their colonies; in the process, however, they introduced ideas--particularly liberalism and nationalism--that contributed to their subjects' long struggle for political and, later, economic independence. The complex racial diversity of the nations of Latin America offers yet another lens through which its history can be approached."
--Booklist