Global and World History

Global and World History investigates the processes that have shaped human societies across time and space by emphasising large-scale connections, comparative developments and transregional interactions. It traces the emergence of world-systems through migration, long-distance trade, imperial expansion, cultural exchange and environmental change—from the rise of early agrarian states to the dynamics of modern globalisation. Central themes include the circulation of commodities and ideas, the organisation and collapse of empires, patterns of forced and voluntary labour, the spread of religions and legal norms, and the impact of pandemics and climate fluctuations. Interdisciplinary methods deploy quantitative modelling, digital mapping, genetic data, archaeology and oral traditions to reconstruct networks linking Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. By situating local experiences within broader trajectories, this field illuminates how historical processes continue to inform contemporary challenges in governance, identity and sustainability.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent applications of quantitative historical methods have enriched our understanding of political stability and communication. One study employed survival analysis—an approach borrowed from reliability engineering—to examine the time-to-violent-death of Roman emperors. The analysis revealed a “bathtub” hazard curve, with elevated risk in the first year of rule and again after a dozen years, suggesting structural patterns in the use of violence within imperial institutions. In another domain, quantitative content analysis of national newspaper coverage during a nationwide strike by contract physicians in Malaysia has shown that responsibility frames—those highlighting policy solutions and governmental roles—dominated discourse both before and after the action. This framing influenced public perceptions, steered stakeholders towards legislative change and demonstrated how colonial-inherited media practices continue to shape socio-political activism and policy outcomes.

Global and World History publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in global and world history across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Survival analysis: Statistical methods for time-to-event data used to examine patterns such as political leaders’ mortality risks.

Responsibility frame: A journalistic emphasis on identifying causes and solutions, focusing on actors with decision-making authority.

Admixture: Genetic and cultural interbreeding between previously distinct populations, producing new hybrid identities.

Global slavery: The international systems and practices of coerced labour that shaped economies, state formation and social orders.

Transoceanic exchange: Movement of people, goods and ideas across oceanic routes linking diverse regions into interconnected networks.

Diaspora: Dispersion of peoples from their homelands, forming transnational communities and influencing cultural and political ties.

References

1. Statistical reliability analysis for a most dangerous occupation: Roman emperor. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2019).
2. Media framing on news of the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) movement in Malaysia: a quantitative content analysis of two Malaysian newspapers. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2024).
3. A genetic and linguistic analysis of the admixture histories of the islands of Cabo Verde. eLife (2023).
4. Global Slavery in the Making of States and International Orders. American Political Science Review (2023).
5. Chinese ceramics as global commodities: a thousand years of production and trade of Chinese ceramics in the Western Indian Ocean. World Archaeology (2023).