Religion, Technology, and the Great and Little Divergences ─ China and Europe Compared, C. 700-1800

In "Religion, Technology, and the Great and Little Divergences" Karel Davids offers a new perspective on technological change in China and Europe before the Industrial Revolution. This book makes an innovative contribution to current debates on the origins of the 'Great Divergence' between China and Europe and the ' Little Divergence' within Europe by analysing the relationship between the evolution of technical knowledge and religious contexts. It deals with the question to what extent disparities in the evolution of technical knowledge can be explained by differences in religious environment. It takes a comparative look at the relation between technology and religion in China and Europe between c.700 and 1800 from four angles: visions on the uses of nature, the formation of human capital, the circulation of technical knowledge and technical innovation.

Karel Davids, Ph.D. in History, University of Leiden, is Professor of Economic and Social History at the VU University Amsterdam. He has published extensively on the history of technology, economic and social history and maritime history of the Netherlands and on themes in global history, including The Rise and Decline of Dutch Technological Leadership. Technology, Economy, and Culture in the Netherlands, 1350-1800 (BRILL 2008).