TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments                                     v
Introduction                                        viii

Chapter 1: Perspectives on the Origins of Merchant Capitalism in Europe    1
Orthodox Marxism                                1
Brennerism (or the Brenner Approach)                    2
The Modernization Theory                            7
World-Systems Analysis                            11
Temporal Predisposition                        13
Spatial Predisposition                            32
The Inter-City-State System of the Middle Ages                33
Tentative Conclusions                            45

Chapter 2: The Political Economies of China and Europe Compared        49
The Chinese Socioeconomic Revolution during
the Sung Dynasty (c. 900-1280)                        50
China and the Mongols                            57
Ming China and Europe: divergent paths                    63
Conclusions vis-à-vis European Capitalism                    81

Chapter 3: The Political Economies of South Asia and Europe Compared
    (c. 1200-1500 AD)                                90
Trade and Commodity Flows in the South Asian Region            90
    States and State Structures in South Asia                    97
    The Strategies of Elites in South Asia and Europe                107
    The Impact of the Perilous Frontier                        117
    Conclusions                                    127

Chapter 4: The Political Economies of Western Europe and Northern
Africa Compared                                131
Northern Africa and the Sudanic States (13th-15th Centuries)        131
North African Cities and States and the Balance of
Power in the Mediterranean                            142
Conclusions                                    150

Chapter 5: Conclusion
Was the Western-European City-State in the Middle Ages a European Miracle?    162

Bibliography                                        171