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Historian and author Patrick Manning began his career studying African history. Over nearly six decades, his focus expanded to link African studies more closely to world history, examining the African Diaspora, human migration patterns, and community life. Today, Manning's work centers on developing a coherent theory for understanding world history: humanity as a system. Read More »

帕特里克·曼宁著述中文译介情况汇总  Patrick Manning's Works Translated into Chinese

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From the Blog, Contending Voices

  • Democracy and Autocracy
    April 24, 2025
    In my third annual commentary on the V-Dem Project’s democracy report, I break down the data on global trends in democracy and autocracy.Read More »

Featured Work

Human History from the Bottom Up

How have social institutions evolved since the earliest days of language? Should the study of world history be expanded to include the days before cities and literacy existed? In what ways has migration been a major process for learning?

Featured Work

Methods for Human History

How did biological, cultural, and social evolutionary processes shape human life? What are the various types and theories of networks and how do they apply to world history? How does language distribution reflects major changes in history?

Featured Work

The Evolving Human System

What has been the transhistorical significance of households and communities? How has the rise of capitalism influenced economic, political, and social affairs? In the study of world history, does the term “civilization” create confusion or clarity?