Modern mankind is today experiencing one of the largest transitional periods in history: from local civilizations to global planetary space. The ongoing, ambiguous processes of blurring economic, political and cultural lines bring the problem of collective and individual identity to the forefront of humanities research.

What metamorphoses does identity undergo in transitional periods of the past? How are socio-political processes linked with the evolution of mentality? These issues resolved within a wide chronological framework here, highlighting geographical boundaries. The book shows how one can identify the peculiarity of identification processes by analyzing diverse sources and using modern methodologies. It will appeal to a wide range of humanities scholars and readers interested in identity problems throughout history, and provides various examples of real-life experience in a number of transitional epochs, accompanied by the dynamics of the identity of both individuals and social groups.