Sing C. Chew is research scientist in the Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; professor of sociology at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California; and founding editor of the interdisciplinary journal, Nature and Culture.

• Chapter 1 PrefacePart 2 I.The Dark Ages over World HistoryChapter 3 1 System CrisisPart 4 II.The Crisis of the Bronze AgeChapter 5 2 Nature and CultureChapter 6 3 Ecological Crisis and System TransformationPart 7 III.The Crisis of AntiquityChapter 8 4 Intensification of Natural and Social Systems RelationsChapter 9 5 A Period of DarknessPart 10 IV. System TransformationChapter 11 6 From the Past to the Future: Whither System Transformation?Chapter 13 Appendix 1: Arboreal Pollen InfluxesChapter 14 Appendix 2: Plantago Pollen InfluxesChapter 15 Appendix 3: Arboreal and NonArboreal Pollen Influxes Percentages

Dr. Chew's long awaited sequel to World Ecological Degradation provides the reader with new insights on the contemporary environmental crisis by providing a broad, long-range perspective on the interactions between natural changes and cultural changes. Interdisciplinary in scope, rich in theory and data, The Recurring Dark Ages helps the reader understand globalization in historical perspective.