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. First published to wide acclaim in 1989, Machines as the Measure of Men is now available in a new edition that features a preface by the author that discusses how subsequent developments in gender and race studies, as well as global technology and politics, enter into conversation with his original arguments.

A pioneering study of the relations between gender and technology.

Racism has existed throughout the world for centuries and has been at the root of innumerable conflicts and human tragedies, including war, genocide, slavery, bigotry, and discrimination. Defined broadly, racism has had many forms and effects, from caste prejudice in India and mass extermination in Tasmania to slavery in the Americas and the Holocaust in Europe. Put simply, racism has been one of the overriding forces in world history for more than a millennium. This book provides a global perspective of racism in its myriad forms. Consisting of twelve parts and fifty-one articles, it focuses on racism worldwide over the past thousand years. It includes three types of articles: original documents, scholarly essays, and journalistic accounts.

"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster, now presented in a beautifully illustrated edition, is a visionary and thought-provoking novella that explores the perils of technological dependency and the potential consequences of a society overly reliant on machines. Set in a future where humanity lives underground, isolated in individual cells, their every need attended to by an all-encompassing Machine, the story follows Vashti, a lecturer and true believer in the Machine's omnipotence. However, as the Machine begins to show signs of malfunction, Vashti's worldview is challenged, leading to a series of events that question the very foundations of her society. "The Machine Stops" remains a compelling exploration of the dangers of sacrificing human connections for the convenience of technology. This illustrated edition provides a fresh perspective on Forster's timeless work, making it an engaging and visually captivating experience for both new and returning readers.

‘With the call of ‘Hey, you guys! Let’s get to work,’ women and men shoulder drills and picks, board cranes and cement mixers, and set their equipment bulldozing and steamrolling across vibrant page spreads. Barton generates the excitement of road and building construction for young sidewalk engineers.’ —BL. 1988 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book) Notable 1987 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1987 (NSTA/CBC) 1987 Children's Books (NY Public Library)