Warfare and the Dynamics of Political Control

Brian R. Billman (Editor)
Hardcover ($75.00), Ebook ($74.99) Buy

Warfare and the Dynamics of Political Control draws on a wealth of interdisciplinary perspectives to explore how conflict shapes the establishment and maintenance of political institutions, from small-scale societies to expansive empires. The book examines the material and ideological factors that drive warfare, the organization of combatants, the ways leaders use violence to consolidate power, and how groups resist political domination in times of conflict. By posing critical questions about the efficacy of strategies and the varied outcomes of conflict-driven power struggles, this volume offers profound insights into the dynamics of political control throughout history.

Bringing together case studies from diverse regions and time periods, Warfare and the Dynamics of Political Controlilluminates the multifaceted nature of political violence. The volume includes discussions of human sacrifice, slave-taking, ideological signaling, and military strategy and tactics. The case studies reveal how different forms of political violence influence societal structures. From the fortifications of the Māori in New Zealand to the city walls of early historic India, each contribution provides a detailed analysis of how warfare has been used to both to challenge and to establish political hierarchies. Featuring examples from small foraging communities to large empires across various regions and time periods, the book offers a wide-ranging exploration of how different groups have used and resisted political violence.

This essential work contributes to our understanding of the intersections between conflict and political power, making it a vital resource for scholars of anthropology, archaeology, political science, and history.

“This is a thought-provoking collection of case studies about the relation of group conflicts to political strategies and levels of complexity. The examples and interpretations provide a lot of grist for the academic mill in its attempt to understand the variety of grinds that warfare produced in the past.”—Brian Hayden, author of The Eyes of the Leopard

"The strength of this volume lies in the tremendous geographic cross-cultural coverage of the multiple means of political domination in state societies."—Raymond Hames, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Warfare and the Dynamics of Political Control
320 Pages 6 x 9
Published: June 2025Hardcover ISBN: 9780816554812
Published: June 2025Ebook ISBN: 9780816554829

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