Covering early societies, the classical, postclassical and modern periods, and the 20th century, and blending the great advances in historical research over the last quarter of the 20th century, this volume represents an addition to the teaching of world history. Focusing on major issues in social history in the context of world history and divided into chronological sections that highlight the mixture of change and continuity, the text traces key aspects of society over time, among them gender; work and leisure; state and society; culture contact; and population patterns. The work includes deep coverage of all the major areas including Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. A brief introduction ties the social history themes to more conventional world history coverage, and an epilogue after each of the five sections suggests overarching themes and connections.