While most alternate histories use the Great Man theory of history, focusing on leaders, wars, and big events, Robinson writes more about social history, similar to the Annales School of historical theory and Marxist historiography, focusing on the lives of ordinary people living in their time and place. This is reflected in the title of the novel, "The Years of Rice and Salt", which refers to the everyday chores of raising a family, often performed by women, despite the politics and wars of men.