Early State Economics - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0887384021 ISBN 13 : 9780887384028

Editeur : Routledge, 1991

Synopsis

The central theme of this volume is the political economy of early state societies: the ways in which the income of the central government of such systems was collected and spent. The work contains descriptive as well as narrative and commemorative essays. Contributions present data on early states as diverse as the Interlacustrine states of East Africa, the Sudanic states of West Africa, prehistoric Cahokia in the Mississippi Valley, Aztec Mexico, the Classical Maya, eighteenth-century Nepal, and Polynesian, Tahitian, and Mayan case studies. At the theoretical end of the spectrum, the book offers a general discussion of the concept of political economy; modes of production in antiquity, and the editors themselves offer an overview of early state organizational forms. With the data of the contributions to this volume, such theoretical viewpoints are evaluated. The conclusion is that inherited approaches fall far short of explaining the political economies of early states. The editors of this volume maintain that much thinking on this issue of the early state is off-base because it is confined to the study of redistribution. They hold that a prestige goods system is probably as important, while in some cases, the key factor to look at is tribute or taxation. Likewise, the system of gift giving, often viewed as ancillary, should be considered central to the performance of the ancient states. In short, political economy is rooted in the stages of social growth. Nearly all contributors agree that simple evolutionary generalizations can no longer be applied to specific cases without considerable modification, and in this undertaking formalist and Marxist canons alike need to be invoked for a deeper understanding of the actual operations of the state in earlier societies.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Henri J.M. Claessen is Distinguished professor of Anthropology Emeritus at the University of Leiden. Since 1983 he has been a vice president of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. Among his major publications are The Early State; Development and Decline; The Evaluation oj Socio-political Organization, and Early State Dynamics. Pieter van de Velde was director of the Archaelogic Centrum and was Reader in social anthropology at Leiden University. Among his major publications are Development and Decline; Prehistoric Indonesia. He is co-editor of Early State Dynamics

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Routledge
• Date d'édition: 1991
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0887384021
• ISBN 13: 9780887384028
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 348
• Éditeur: Claessen Henri
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible