Akira Iriye and Petra Goedde in their new book International History: A Cultural Approach, present an innovative history of modern international relations that stresses cultural themes. In place of the usual focus on great-power rivalries, diplomatic negotiations, military conflict, and other phenomena in which sovereign nations are the key players, this book focuses on intercultural relations as individuals, races, religions, and non-state actors interact across national boundaries, to provide a fresh perspective on modern international history.

Among the themes covered in this book are: nationalism and cosmopolitanism, migration, cross-cultural encounters, consumerism and youth cultures, environmental transformations and economic and technological globalization. Iriye and Goedde’s approach offers a deeper understanding of international history, focusing on people and their cultures rather than just state level interactions.

SPEAKER:

Petra Goedde

Professor of History, Temple University

MODERATORS:

Soumava Basu

President and Founder, CGC

Yash Singh

Researcher, The Cold War Project, CGC