Human Conflict from Neanderthals to the Samburu: Structure and Agency in Webs of Violence

This book examines human conflict throughout history, the reasons behind the struggles, and why it persists. The volume delves into the causes of human conflict and what can be done about them. Based on detailed descriptions that support insightful interpretations, the book explores significant historical events in the course of human history.
By pursuing a web of violence approach, it raises and answers questions about the sources of conflict and how it may or may not be resolved through investigations into human agency and practice. It evaluates lessons learned concerning human conflict, violence, and warfare. To illustrate these lessons, the book presents a broad geographical and temporal set of data, including research on the time of Neanderthals in Europe (20-30 thousand years ago); the Late Neolithic civilization on the Mediterranean (6-8 thousand years ago); medieval Ireland; contemporary history of the Western Dani peoples of West Papua; and, finally,recent issues in Brazil, Congo, and Kenya.

Contains a broad treatment of topics and themes that have long fascinated the lay public Illustrates the web of violence approach Presents a multifaceted set of integrative techniques Offers rigorous scholarly methods for addressing the question of persisting human conflict

Autorentext

William P. Kiblinger (editor) is an associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on continental philosophy and theology as well as issues in religion and science. He has published work on evolutionary theory and subjectivity in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science as well as on religious imagination in the International Journal of Philosophy and Theology. He teaches courses in philosophy and religious studies, and he has co-taught interdisciplinary courses in biology, anthropology, and political science.

Inhalt
Foreword (Chacon).- Introduction (Kiblinger).- Chapter 1. The Mammoth Steppe in Relation to the Fate of Modern-Humans and Neanderthals (Geist).- Chapter 2. The Meaning of Projectile Points in the Late Neolithic of the Northern Levant: A Case Study from the Settlement of Shir, Syria (Dietrich).- Chapter 3. Was There a Method to Their Madness? Warfare, Alliance Formation, and the Origins of the Irish Medieval State (Gibson).- Chapter 4. Seeking JusticePreserving Honor: War and Peace Among the Western Dani (Hayward).- Chapter 5. Forced Labor and Disciplinary Control: A History of Indigenous Peoples' Treatment and Agency in the City of Manaus, Brazil (Soares).- Chapter 6. Culpability for Violence in the Congo: Lessons from the Crisis of 1960-1965 (Roosevelt).- Chapter 7. Killing, Mercy, and Empathic Emotions: The Emotional Lives of East African Warriors (Straight).- Chapter 8. Conclusions and Commentary (Kiblinger).