Toynbee Reappraisals

Arnold J. Toynbee’s voluminous studies of world history embraced every civilization and religion of the past and present. His general theory of the rise and fall of cultures remains the most comprehensive attempt ever made to understand the recurrent processes of universal history. His name has entered the short list of historical thinkers that every generation feels compelled to encounter. In this volume twelve historians of widely differing specializations re-examine Toynbee’s work. Well aware that he received apparently devastating criticism during his lifetime, they are nevertheless convinced that this scope and creativity are such that no all-encompassing dismissal of him is possible. Their essays reconsider critically a wide range of topics about Toynbee – his life, his religion, his thought about history and international affairs, his global vision. The editors provide an initial essay analysing his method and major concepts and assessing his overall achievement. The volume is published to commemorate the centenary of Toynbee’s birth. It provides a timely reassessment of the most widely reviewed historian of our century.