Preface

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The twenty-first century can be called the era of globalization which will obviously fluctuate between high and low tides. It is also clear that the former globalization trend with the USA being its driver is fading away so there are needed new ‘fuel’ and constructive solutions. The crisis of the old world order and destructive processes involving the World System also become evident. But we know that natural historical processes usually proceed with destruction of the old and according to the principle to clear the way first (we have already pointed this fact, see Grinin 2017). Unfortunately, the formation of a new order also does not accord with any agreements or plans (which would exist if the rulers were wise) but unfolds just in the naturally and historically determined way, which brings destabilization and destruction (we have also written about this in our contribution to this yearbook: Grinin, Ilyin, Andreev 2016). At that, the main destructive actors are finally to become the main losers. All the above said is enough to prove the importance of the study of global processes. But still this is just a part of a scientific horizon.

We more and more acutely perceive global processes. Probably, the most debated and apparent is the global climate change. Also the close link between global processes in the World System and every society, in the human civilization and nature becomes more and more evident. And the global processes are clearly a part of the processes in our Universe and even in a wider macrocosm. So we become completely aware of the physical connection between the Earth and the cosmos while learning their riddles.

Thus, global processes imperatively make us think broadly and cover megaevolution and contemporary political processes. The present volume contributes to this approach. This is already the seventh issue of the yearbook Globalistics and Globalization Studies touching a broad range of subjects within Global Studies and subtitled Globalization Studies and Evolutionary Trends. The volume has a traditional structure and consists of four parts. Part I. Big History and Global Evolution comprises four articles considering the fundamental subjects concerned with Big History. Seven contributions to Part II. Historical Globalistics are devoted to historical trends sometimes covering whole millennia. So they are written in the style and discourse of Globalistics and global Historical Sociology. In Part III. Evolutionary Trends there are only four articles but which give very interesting evolutionary surveys showing the development of a phenomenon from origin to the present. Finally, the last Part IV. The World Today and Tomorrow is devoted to the analysis of current processes within the World System and give an insight into the future.