The Human Potential For Peace: An Anthropological Challenge To Assumptions About War And Violence - Couverture rigide

Fry

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0195181778 ISBN 13 : 9780195181777

Editeur : Oxford University Press Inc, 2005

Synopsis

In The Human Potential for Peace: An Anthropological Challenge to Assumptions about War and Violence, renowned anthropologist Douglas P. Fry shows how anthropology--with its expansive time frame and comparative orientation--can provide unique insights into the nature of war and the potential for peace. Challenging the traditional view that humans are by nature primarily violent and warlike, Professor Fry argues that along with the capacity for aggression humans also possess a strong ability to prevent, limit, and resolve conflicts without violence. Raising philosophy of science issues, the author shows that cultural beliefs asserting the inevitability of violence and war can bias our interpretations, affect our views of ourselves, and may even blind us to the possibility of achieving security without war. Fry draws on data from cultural anthropology, archaeology, and sociology as well as from behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology to construct a biosocial argument that challenges a host of commonly held assumptions.
The Human Potential for Peace includes ethnographic examples from around the globe, findings from Fry's research among the Zapotec of Mexico, and results of cross-cultural studies on warfare. In showing that conflict resolution exists across cultures and by documenting the existence of numerous peaceful societies, it demonstrates that dealing with conflict without violence is not merely a utopian dream. The book also explores several highly publicized and interesting controversies, including Freeman's critique of Margaret Mead's writings on Samoan warfare; Napoleon Chagnon's claims about the Yanomamö; and ongoing evolutionary debates about whether "hunter-gatherers" are peaceful or warlike. The Human Potential for Peace is ideal for undergraduate courses in political and legal anthropology, the anthropology of peace and conflict, peace studies, political sociology, and the sociology of war and violence. Written in an informal style with numerous entertaining examples, the book is also readily accessible to general readers.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

The Human Potential for Peace provides a clearly written, critical re-evaluation of anthropological findings on violence, war, peace, and conflict management. Drawing upon anthropological data from both cultural studies and evolutionary biology, this volume challenges the traditional view that humans are naturally violent and warlike and argues that we, in fact, possess a strong ability to prevent, limit, and resolve conflicts. In a highly readable style, the book critiques the assumptions, methodology, and logic of some previous studies, demonstrating a recurring bias in the literature that overemphasizes war and violence and ignores the human ability to resolve most conflicts without violence. Among the highly publicized anthropological controversies he examines are Derek Freeman's analysis of Margaret Mead's writings on Samoan warfare, Napoleon Chagnon's claims about the Yanomami, and ongoing debates about whether "hunter-gatherers" are peaceful or warlike. The book also employs short ethnographic examples, findings from the author's own research among the Zapotec of Mexico, results of cross-cultural studies on warfare, descriptions of peaceful societies, and archaeological material to illustrate that peacemaking and conflict resolution patterns do exist across cultures and that non-warring societies exist in substantial numbers.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press Inc
• Date d'édition: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0195181778
• ISBN 13: 9780195181777
• Reliure: Relié
• Langue: anglais
• Nombre de pages: 384