Anthropology and Global History explains the origin and development of human societies and cultures from their earliest beginnings to the present-utilizing an anthropological lens but also drawing from sociology, economics, political science, history, and ecological and religious studies.

Carmack reconceptualizes world history from a global perspective by employing the expansive concepts of world-systems and civilizations, and by paying deeper attention to the role of tribal and native peoples within this history. Rather than concentrating on the minute details of specific great events in global history, he shifts our focus to the broad social and cultural contexts in which they occurred. Carmack traces the emergence of ancient kingdoms and the characteristics of pre-modern empires as well as the processes by which the modern world has become integrated and transformed. The book addresses Western civilization as well as comparative processes which have unfolded in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Vignettes opening each chapter and case studies integrated throughout the text illustrate the numerous and often extremely complex historical processes which have operated through time and across local, regional, and global settings.