What are the differences between world history, transnational history, global history and international history? These concepts can be quite confusing for history students. Each concept entails a distinctive approach to history while also having its overlaps.
International History: This is considered to be one of the most conventional and prominent approaches to history, usually analysing the politics of nation states and their interactions. It focuses on international relations on multiple dimensions, such as geopolitics, diplomacy and economic activities. Most importantly, the study unit of this approach is nation states. For example, history of nation states’ interactions during the Cold War.
World History: This approach emphasises the patterns of societal interactions on a large scale and could be thematically arranged, such as religious patterns, gender patterns and colonalisation. Comparative analyses are commonly used in this approach, and the unit of study emphasises the societal dimension rather than the political dimension.
Transnational History: This approach focuses on broad patterns and movements transcending national boundaries, such as migration, spread of an ideology or culture. It cuts across or analyses national boundaries and national history. For example, a history of the spread of queer liberation movements in various countries.
Global History: Sometimes overlaps with transnational history, while the idea of nation state is less accentuated. Focus is on interconnections and causations up to a global level. Global history can be micro or macro and sometimes juxtapositions of global events can be a method of study. For example, juxtapositioning the life of rural women in Edinburgh and those in Tokyo in the seventeenth century, or the spice trade history that connected the global economy.
Worth noticing: the approach of history is not defined by topic. For example, the transatlantic slavery system could be studied using the approach of global history or world history, depending on the specific form of analysis and dimensions addressed by the historian.
