A Cultural History of Plants in The Modern Era

For much of the twentieth century, modernization did not simply radiate from cities into the hinterlands; rather, the broad project of modernity, and resistance to it, has often originated in farm fields, at agricultural festivals, and in agrarian stories. In New Mexico no crops have defined the people and their landscape in the industrial era more than apples, cotton, and chiles.

From Ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire to the Modern World: Unraveling Human History

China—the world's oldest continuous civilization—has undergone an astonishing transformation in a brief span of recent history. Since the collapse of its once-glorious empire in 1911, China has seen decades of epic turmoil and upheavals, emerging in the new century as both an authoritarian megastate and an economic powerhouse, poised to become an imposing global force.

The seat of power. A symbol of authority and prosperity. The center of a complex nexus of social and cultural forces. A palace is all of these and more. Palaces are mirrors of the societies that created them and the rulers that occupied them.