The Emergence of Premodern States

The Emergence of Premodern States
Author: Jeremy A. Sabloff
Publisher:
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2018-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781947864122

Archaeology is experiencing a data deluge. Many of the foremost experts in quantitative archaeology and anthropology leverage innovative methodologies-including agent-based modeling, network analysis, and theoretical applications of evolutionary biology-to probe long-debated questions on the formation of early states.

Fiscal Regimes and the Political Economy of Premodern States

Fiscal Regimes and the Political Economy of Premodern States
Author: Andrew Monson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 603
Release: 2015-04-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1316300153

Inspired by the new fiscal history, this book represents the first global survey of taxation in the premodern world. What emerges is a rich variety of institutions, including experiments with sophisticated instruments such as sovereign debt and fiduciary money, challenging the notion of a typical premodern stage of fiscal development. The studies also reveal patterns and correlations across widely dispersed societies that shed light on the basic factors driving the intensification, abatement, and innovation of fiscal regimes. Twenty scholars have contributed perspectives from a wide range of fields besides history, including anthropology, economics, political science and sociology. The volume's coverage extends beyond Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East to East Asia and the Americas, thereby transcending the Eurocentric approach of most scholarship on fiscal history.

Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States

Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States
Author: Richard Blanton
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 470
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 0387738762

Anthropological archaeology and other disciplines concerned with the formation of early complex societies are undergoing a theoretical shift. Given the need for new directions in theory, the book proposes that anthropologists look to political science, especially the rational choice theory of collective action. The authors subject collective action theory to a methodologically rigorous evaluation using systematic cross-cultural analysis based on a world-wide sample of societies.

Nations

Nations
Author: Azar Gat
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 451
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107007852

A groundbreaking study of the foundations of nationalism, exposing its antiquity, strong links with ethnicity and roots in human nature.

Power from Below in Premodern Societies

Power from Below in Premodern Societies
Author: T. L. Thurston
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2021-10-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1316515397

This volume challenges traditional narratives on power, moving away from elite-centered models and focusing instead on the archaeology of commoners.

The Routledge Handbook of the State in Premodern India

The Routledge Handbook of the State in Premodern India
Author: Hermann Kulke
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2022-01-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000485145

This handbook presents a multilayered and multidimensional history of state formation in premodern India. It explores dense and rich local and subregional historiography from the mid-first millennium BC to the eighteenth century in South Asia. Shifting the focus away from economic and political factors, this handbook revises the conventional understanding of states and empires and locates them in their quotidian conduct and activity on socio-cultural and concomitant factors. Comprehensive in scope, this handbook addresses a range of themes connected with the idea of state formation in the subcontinent. It includes discussions and debates on ritual practices and the Brahmanical order in early India; the Delhi Sultanate and role of Sultans among the Hindu kings; the cosmopolitan ‘Islamicate’ cultural influences on Puranic Hinduism; cultural background of the Mughal state. The handbook examines new questions and ideologies of state formation, such as: · facets of violence and resistance; · the significance of the autonomous spaces and forests; · regional elites, including ‘Little kings’; tribal background of some famous cults; · trade and maritime commerce; · royal patronage, courtly manners, lineage formation; · imperial architecture, monuments, and temple, among others. Featuring case studies from different part of the India subcontinent, and with contributions by renowned historians, this authoritative handbook will be an indispensable reading for teachers, scholars, and students of early India, medieval India, premodern India, South Asian history, Asian history, historiography, economic history, historical sociology, and South Asia studies.

A Global History of Pre-Modern Warfare

A Global History of Pre-Modern Warfare
Author: Kaushik Roy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000432122

This book examines the military histories of the regions beyond Western Europe in the pre-modern era. Existing works on global military history mainly focus on the western part of Eurasia after 1500 CE. As regards the ancient period, such works concentrate exclusively on Greece and Rome. So, ‘global’ military history is actually the triumphal story of the West from Classical Greece onwards. This volume focuses not only on the eastern part of Eurasia but also on South America, Africa and Australasia and seeks to explain the history and varied trajectories of warfare in non-Western regions in the pre-modern era. Further, it evaluates whether warfare in non-Western regions should be considered primitive or inferior when compared with Western warfare. The book notes that Western Europe became militarily significant only in the early modern era and argues that the military divergence that occurred during the early modern era is not unique – it had also occurred in the Bronze Age, the Classical era and in the medieval period. This was due to the dynamism and innovativeness of non-Western militaries and the interconnectedness that existed in parts of the Eurasian landmass. Further, those polities which were able to construct a balanced military force by synthesising diverse elements were not only able to survive but also became capable of projecting power across continents. This book will be of much interest to students of military history, strategic studies and world history.

A Concise History of Premodern Korea

A Concise History of Premodern Korea
Author: Michael J. Seth
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2016-03-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1442260459

Now in a fully revised and updated edition, this engaging text provides a concise history of Korea from the beginning of human settlement in the region through the late nineteenth century. Michael J. Seth’s thorough chronological narrative equally emphasizes social, cultural, and political history. Students will be especially drawn to descriptions of everyday life for both elite and nonelite members of society during various historical periods. The book emphasizes how Korean history can be understood as part of an interactive sphere that includes three basic areas: China, Japan, and the Manchurian/Central Asian region. Throughout, Seth draws comparisons between developments in Korea and those in neighboring regions. All readers looking for a balanced, knowledgeable history will be richly rewarded with this clear and cogent book.

Societal Breakdown and the Rise of the Early Modern State in Europe

Societal Breakdown and the Rise of the Early Modern State in Europe
Author: D. Shlapentokh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2008-01-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230610420

Shlapentokh asserts that asocial behavior in both medieval France and the contemporary West is not a marginal occurrence but rather a mainstream phenomena, and one that can often be stopped by strong force as the only antidote to social chaos.