The Anthropology of War

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Anthropology of War
Authors and Contributors      Edited by Jonathan Haas
SeriesSchool of American Research Advanced Seminars
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:260
Dimensions(mm): Height 231,Width 153
ISBN/Barcode 9780521380423
ClassificationsDewey:303.66
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 4 Line drawings, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 12 July 1990
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The book brings together a group of authors who are addressing the nature and causes of warfare in simpler, tribal societies. The authors represent a range of different opinions about why humans engage in warfare, why wars start, and the role of war in human evolution. Warfare in cultures from several different world areas is considered, ranging over the Amazon, the Caribbean, the Andes, the Southwestern United States, Southeast Asia, Polynesia, and Malaysia. To explain the origins and maintenance of war in tribal societies, different authors appeal to a broad spectrum of demographic, environmental, historical and biological variables. Competing explanatory models of warfare are presented head to head, with overlapping bodies of data offered in support of each.

Reviews

'... this stimulating collection of views ... contributes a great deal to our understanding of how and why peoeple insult, attack, wound or kill each other, as well as the economic, political and ideological imperatives that are at work.' New Scientist