The Problem of the Global Middle Ages

The global turn in medieval studies has, if anything, intensified the longstanding preoccupation among historians of science, technology, and medicine with Needham's question:"Why did China not produce a scientific revolution?" 1 In some cases, the answers offered are attempts at finding connections, non-European origins, or "discoveries" that happened outside Europe. 2 Others question the uniqueness of European modernity or propose comparative cases. 3 Resulting narratives of the medieval history of science, technology, and medicine present three key problems: The Centrality of EuropeThe European origin of the Middle Ages as a chronological marker is well-documented.The term has intellectually traveled far from its roots as a middle between the fall of Rome and the fall of Constantinople. 4However, Eurocentric periodizations continue to exert significant intellectual pull, motivating studies that investigate the analytical possibilities in such terms. 5 The persistent allure of these chronological categories renders them archival headings in search of entries, to borrow Derrida's conceptualization of archives. 6They 1.