The East in the West

The book The East in the West by Jack Goody, Arab Organization for Translation. Over periods of European history, the East was viewed as a "static" or "backward" entity, meaning that its institutions were characterized by traits that hindered modernization. These were the assumptions from which Marx and Weber started in the heyday of capitalism, and many others followed who were amazed by the "European miracle" and the "unique character of the West." But Jack Goody refutes these assumptions, starting with the concept that Western rationality is what allowed "us" and not "them" to adopt the means of modernization. As for the factors said to limit the development of the East, such as the role of the family and forms of labor, they have been widely exaggerated. This European centrality failed to explain the current achievements made by the East, and it also misinterpreted Western history. From here begins the book The East in the West in achieving balance, and thus it constitutes a fundamental shift in our view of history and society in both the West and the East.