英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

VOA标准英语2010年-World History Looks Different When See

时间:2010-06-01 03:15来源:互联网 提供网友:liu3766228   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Afghan-American writer, lecturer, and teacher Tamim Ansary is man ideally placed to help Westerners see the history of our world through another set of eyes.  Growing up in Afghanistan as a young history buff, Ansary had an opportunity to read and learn about the world from dual2 perspectives.  A decade ago, when he was working as a textbook editor, a publisher in Texas hired him to develop a new world history textbook for high school students.

“What that meant was that I had to select and arrange the most consequential3 events to reveal the arc of history, not a chronological4 list of every damn thing that ever happened,” Ansary said.   What emerged was a narrative5 of civilization that included both “the West” and “Islam.”  From his textbook, Ansary went on to write another book, this time for adults – Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes.  That book is about to be re-published in paperback6 edition.

 

 


Ancient Times – Mesopotamia and Persia

Ansary begins with two lists of the pivotal periods in human history – as seen both through Western eyes and through Islamic eyes.  For both, it is the year 3500 BC (before Christ in the Western calendar) – or 3500 BCE (before the Common Era, as it’s known in both Muslim and Jewish traditions).   “The first traces of what you might call ‘civilization’ emerged along the Tigris and Euphrates River and a little later in Egypt,” Ansary said.  “Writing is part of it; cities are part of it; irrigation systems and inventions like the wheel.”

In the Middle East, a pattern recurred7 again and again, Ansary explains.  “A city would be built up; the nomads8 would take over that city and become the civilized9 people.  They would expand the empire the city had once ruled; then, new nomads would come and expand the empire again.  That process came to a climax10 with the Persian Empire, which ruled a realm stretching from the Indus River to Egypt.”  In the Mediterranean11 region, Ansary notes, this period roughly overlaps12 the Western civilization of Greece and Rome.

Birth of Islam

In terms of cultural identity, the most critical historical period for Muslims is the birth of Islam – specifically the Hijra, the flight of the Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE.  “About 610," Ansary recounts, “the Prophet went to a cave and meditated13.  And he felt he had been visited by the angel Gabriel, who told him he was the messenger of Allah. That message was that there is only one God.  You shouldn’t worship idols14.  This one God has given humanity freedom of choice, but will hold them responsible for their choices.  Time will end and there will be a day of judgment15, and people will be sorted into those who have done good, who will go to heaven, and those who have done evil, who will go to hell – for eternity16.”

“When the Prophet fled to Medina because he was being persecuted17 in Mecca,” Ansary said, “he became not only a preacher but also the leader of a political community, the Muslim community, and that marks the turning point of history.”

Caliphate – Quest for Unity1

About the same time as the rise of Christianity in the West and its subsequent “Dark Ages,” Ansary noted19, Islam was experiencing a quest for unity, represented by the Caliphate.  “At that time, the Muslim empire was the civilized empire that was in its Golden Age,” he said.

The core of the religious conflict, Ansary explains, was the division between Sunni Islam and Shi’a Islam.   “Many different ethnic20 groups had come under the umbrella of Islam, and a question arose as to how they should all be integrated into  one community whose fundamental premise21 was the brotherhood22 and equality of all.”

Age of the Sultanates – Fragmentation

By the end of the 11th century of the Common Era, the dream of a universal Muslim community at the political level had failed, according to Ansary.  “It crumbled23 because the Caliphate got too big.  The technology of the time was not sufficient to have one capital administering a realm that stretched from India to Spain,” he said.

As the Caliphate fragmented, a similar thing that had happened to the Roman Empire in the West, happened to the Muslim world, Ansary suggests.  “The Seljuk Turks were the first of the nomadic24 tribes from the north to enter the Muslim realm,” he explained.  “They were very mobile, and they set up something different from the Caliphate,” he said.   “But, most important, the culture of the Islamic world changed after that invasion,” Ansary noted.

Catastrophe25 – Crusaders from the West and Mongols from the East

Then came a period of about three centuries in which the Islamic world was attacked by Crusaders from the west and by Mongols from the east, Ansary said.  The Crusaders came to the eastern Mediterranean and set up three small Crusader kingdoms.  “Although the Crusader destruction was not so widespread, within that area the destruction was at times horrifying26.  For example, the conquest of Jerusalem was quite a slaughter,” Ansary said.

“But by far the greater catastrophe was when the Mongols came and destroyed whole cities, such as the ancient Afghan city of Balkh and the city of Baghdad [in present-day Iraq] – with its libraries and archives,” Ansary notes. 
 
Three Great Empires – Rebirth

The next major period from an Islamic perspective was that of the three great empires.  Of these, the Ottoman Empire was the largest.  “It encompassed28 North Africa, Asia Minor29 to the edge of what is now Iran, and it spilled over into Eastern Europe,” Ansary said.   The Persian Safavid Empire in Central Asia was a bit larger than modern-day Iran.  And the Moghul Empire in South Asia included what are now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and part of Afghanistan.

“If you take these empires together, you have a span of civilization that would have seemed pretty familiar to a traveler who could start in Morocco, moving through North Africa and Egypt, across Asia Minor and Iran, all the way to the eastern parts of India,” Ansary explains.  Travelers, for example, would find calligraphy30, mosques31 with domes32, minarets33, and mosaics34, and people who were familiar with the foundational stories of Islam.  “It was somewhat similar to the continuity of Western civilization now – traveling from the United States, to Britain, to France, to Germany, and onward35 – where people will share your most basic premises,” he notes.

Permeation36 of the East by the West

Meanwhile, the Western world was also experiencing a rebirth – a renaissance37 in the arts and a reformation in religion.  This period involved considerable interaction between the Muslim and Christian18 worlds, especially in trade.  “The West was dominant38 by sea, and the Islamic people were dominant on land,” Ansary observes.

“When the West came to the East, the East was at the peak of its power, in terms of how it felt about itself, so the Muslims didn’t perceive the Western traders as a threat,” Ansary said. Throughout this period, when the West was becoming dominant in the East, he suggests, that domination was not primarily in terms of military conflict.  “In fact, the wars that were going on were generally those between different Muslim powers,” he explains.

Islamic Reform Movements

From the early 18th century CE through the end of World War I, a number of reform movements arose in the Muslim world – for example, the Wahhabis in the Arabian Peninsula and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.  “This major era of reform movements occurred in the context of Muslims becoming aware of the fact that they had come to be dominated by another culture, so the movements of religious reform also had to address imperialism,” Ansary notes.

“Wahhabism was one of the reform movements whose answer to the decline of Muslim power was, we must go back to the way of life that was practiced in the original community,” Ansary said.  In some ways, it was similar to the Protestant Reformation in Christendom, he said.  However, at the other extreme were reform movements in Islam that said, “The West may really have something, and maybe we should think of Islam as an ethical39 system and eliminate the supernatural elements in it.”
 
Yet another Islamic reform movement suggested that “The West has something important in the realm of science, but it is completely wrong in terms of its social system,” Ansary said.  “And this movement ended up being the ancestor of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it became a nationalistic, pan-Islamic idea,” according to Ansary.

Secular40 Modernists

The rise of secular modernists in the Islamic world – such as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, Mohammed Ali Jinnah in Pakistan, and Gamal Abdul Nasser in Egypt – is a 20th century phenomenon.   Ansary describes Ataturk as a “radical extremist” in the Islamic context.  “In many ways he overthrew41 the idea of a traditional Islamic society in favor of a secular Western idea. He said that Turks could practice Islam as a religion, but it had nothing to do with the government,” Ansary explained.  And in Turkey, he noted, it became the job of the army to guarantee the secularism42 of the government.
 
Political Islam – Reaction

Some modern-day examples of political Islam include the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Justice and Development Party in Turkey.  “But I think political Islam is still in a very ambiguous state in terms of whether it will succeed in governing the societies it has taken over,” Ansary cautioned.  “Taliban-ism in Afghanistan is a powerful movement so long as it is in opposition43 to a foreign force that is seen as occupying the country.” 

However, administering a country involves a “whole new set of problems,” Ansary said.  For example, the Revolutionary Guard in Iran is a military organization.  “It has the power to rally people to battle, but whether it has the ability to govern a society is still open to question,” Ansary said.

Other Histories

 “I’m not suggesting that books like mine should be part of the curriculum in the schools of the West,” Ansary said.  “But I do think it is supplementary44 reading, and that could also encompass27 Indian and Chinese and other histories,” Ansary suggested.

“If we take the premise that history is the story of how we got to here and now, and if that means moving towards a universal civilization, then the history that leads to this here and now will differ from all these particular histories,” Ansary said.   “But our situation right now demands an understanding of world history from an Islamic perspective,” he urges.

 

Other books available by Tamim Ansary:
West of Kabul, East of New York (a novel)
The Widow’s Husband (a historical epic set during the first Afghan-British War)
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
2 dual QrAxe     
adj.双的;二重的,二元的
参考例句:
  • The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
  • He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。
3 consequential caQyq     
adj.作为结果的,间接的;重要的
参考例句:
  • She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
  • This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。
4 chronological 8Ofzi     
adj.按年月顺序排列的,年代学的
参考例句:
  • The paintings are exhibited in chronological sequence.这些画是按创作的时间顺序展出的。
  • Give me the dates in chronological order.把日期按年月顺序给我。
5 narrative CFmxS     
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
参考例句:
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
6 paperback WmEzIh     
n.平装本,简装本
参考例句:
  • A paperback edition is now available at bookshops.平装本现在在书店可以买到。
  • Many books that are out of print are reissued in paperback form.许多绝版的书籍又以平装本形式重新出现。
7 recurred c940028155f925521a46b08674bc2f8a     
再发生,复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 ); 治愈
参考例句:
  • Old memories constantly recurred to him. 往事经常浮现在他的脑海里。
  • She always winced when he recurred to the subject of his poems. 每逢他一提到他的诗作的时候,她总是有点畏缩。
8 nomads 768a0f027c2142bf3f626e9422a6ffe9     
n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 );流浪者;游牧生活;流浪生活
参考例句:
  • For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
  • Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 civilized UwRzDg     
a.有教养的,文雅的
参考例句:
  • Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
  • rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
10 climax yqyzc     
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点
参考例句:
  • The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
  • His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。
11 Mediterranean ezuzT     
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
  • Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。
12 overlaps d113557f17c9d775ab67146e39187d41     
v.部分重叠( overlap的第三人称单数 );(物体)部份重叠;交叠;(时间上)部份重叠
参考例句:
  • The style in these two books largely overlaps. 这两本书的文体有许多处是一致的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The new office overlaps the functions of the one already in existence. 新机构的职能与那个现存机构的职能部分重叠。 来自辞典例句
13 meditated b9ec4fbda181d662ff4d16ad25198422     
深思,沉思,冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 ); 内心策划,考虑
参考例句:
  • He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。
  • She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。
14 idols 7c4d4984658a95fbb8bbc091e42b97b9     
偶像( idol的名词复数 ); 受崇拜的人或物; 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物; 神像
参考例句:
  • The genii will give evidence against those who have worshipped idols. 魔怪将提供证据来反对那些崇拜偶像的人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
  • Teenagers are very sequacious and they often emulate the behavior of their idols. 青少年非常盲从,经常模仿他们的偶像的行为。
15 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
16 eternity Aiwz7     
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷
参考例句:
  • The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
  • Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞,永世相随。
17 persecuted 2daa49e8c0ac1d04bf9c3650a3d486f3     
(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人
参考例句:
  • Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
  • Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。
18 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
19 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
20 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
21 premise JtYyy     
n.前提;v.提论,预述
参考例句:
  • Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
  • We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。
22 brotherhood 1xfz3o     
n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊
参考例句:
  • They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
  • They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。
23 crumbled 32aad1ed72782925f55b2641d6bf1516     
(把…)弄碎, (使)碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 衰落; 坍塌; 损坏
参考例句:
  • He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
  • Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了,我们的希望也破灭了。
24 nomadic 0H5xx     
adj.流浪的;游牧的
参考例句:
  • This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
  • The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。
25 catastrophe WXHzr     
n.大灾难,大祸
参考例句:
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
26 horrifying 6rezZ3     
a.令人震惊的,使人毛骨悚然的
参考例句:
  • He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
  • The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了,真不堪细想。
27 encompass WZJzO     
vt.围绕,包围;包含,包括;完成
参考例句:
  • The course will encompass physics,chemistry and biology.课程将包括物理、化学和生物学。
  • The project will encompass rural and underdeveloped areas in China.这项工程将覆盖中国的农村和不发达地区。
28 encompassed b60aae3c1e37ac9601337ef2e96b6a0c     
v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 );包围;包含;包括
参考例句:
  • The enemy encompassed the city. 敌人包围了城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I have encompassed him with every protection. 我已经把他保护得严严实实。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
29 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
30 calligraphy BsRzP     
n.书法
参考例句:
  • At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上,人们请他留字。
  • His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。
31 mosques 5bbcef619041769ff61b4ff91237b6a0     
清真寺; 伊斯兰教寺院,清真寺; 清真寺,伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下?
  • The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺,过去年久失修,现在已经修复。
32 domes ea51ec34bac20cae1c10604e13288827     
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 );像圆屋顶一样的东西;圆顶体育场
参考例句:
  • The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
  • Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网
33 minarets 72eec5308203b1376230e9e55dc09180     
n.(清真寺旁由报告祈祷时刻的人使用的)光塔( minaret的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Remind you of a mosque, red baked bricks, the minarets. 红砖和尖塔都会使你联想到伊斯兰教的礼拜寺。 来自互联网
  • These purchases usually went along with embellishments such as minarets. 这些购置通常也伴随着注入尖塔等的装饰。 来自互联网
34 mosaics 2c3cb76ec7fcafd7e808cb959fa24d5e     
n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 );镶嵌;镶嵌工艺;镶嵌图案
参考例句:
  • The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere. 这块嵌板和在其他地方找到的镶嵌图案有明显的相似之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The unsullied and shining floor was paved with white mosaics. 干净明亮的地上镶嵌着白色图案。 来自辞典例句
35 onward 2ImxI     
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先
参考例句:
  • The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
  • He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。
36 permeation 02890a44b527d70bfeea6503a35c2268     
渗入,透过
参考例句:
  • The permeation constant of gases through metals is negligible except for hydrogen through palladium or iron. 除了氢气能穿过钯和铁之外,气体穿过金属的透气常数是可以略而不计的。
  • Aim To study the cutaneous permeation kinetics and pharmacodynamics of lidocaine gel. 目的研究利多卡因凝胶的经皮吸收动力学以及药效学。
37 renaissance PBdzl     
n.复活,复兴,文艺复兴
参考例句:
  • The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
  • The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。
38 dominant usAxG     
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因
参考例句:
  • The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
  • She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。
39 ethical diIz4     
adj.伦理的,道德的,合乎道德的
参考例句:
  • It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
  • It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
40 secular GZmxM     
n.牧师,凡人;adj.世俗的,现世的,不朽的
参考例句:
  • We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
  • Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。
41 overthrew dd5ffd99a6b4c9da909dc8baf50ba04a     
overthrow的过去式
参考例句:
  • The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
  • They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。
42 secularism ad542df7a7131885e24a4dae18d8b8ae     
n.现世主义;世俗主义;宗教与教育分离论;政教分离论
参考例句:
  • Unless are devoted to God, secularism shall not leave us. 除非我们奉献于神,否则凡俗之心便不会离开我们。 来自互联网
  • They are no longer a huge threat to secularism. 他们已不再是民主的巨大威胁。 来自互联网
43 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
44 supplementary 0r6ws     
adj.补充的,附加的
参考例句:
  • There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了,我们另外有供水的地方。
  • A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
TAG标签:   VOA标准英语  encompass  encompass
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴