Feuding and Warfare: Selected Works of Keith F. Otterbein

Keith F. Otterbein's scholarship, published in 1994, followed a conceptual framework derived from systems theory to understand the role of warfare in human social evolution. He formulated a Fraternal Interest Group theory to explain feuding, warfare, rape, and capital punishment, and posed questions about its learning process. This volume serves as an introduction to the anthropology of war and a compendium of Professor Otterbeins ideas.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 04 November 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Originally published in 1994, Keith F. Otterbein's groundbreaking scholarship had followed a consistent design since 1962, when he began conducting comparative studies of warfare using both ethnographic and cross-cultural methods. Through a conceptual framework derived from systems theory, he made significant contributions to our understanding of the role of warfare in human social evolution. He formulated a Fraternal Interest Group theory, which he used to explain not only feuding and warfare but also rape and capital punishment. Believing that armed combat is learned behavior, he posed questions about its learning process that had yet to be answered. He served as a major synthesizer of the growing literature on warfare and led efforts among anthropologists to apply their knowledge of war and peace to current events. This volume will serve as a valuable introduction to the anthropology of war and as a comprehensive compendium of Professor Otterbein's ideas.

Originally published in 1994, Keith F. Otterbein's groundbreaking scholarship had followed a consistent design since 1962, when he began conducting comparative studies of warfare using both ethnographic and cross-cultural methods. Through a conceptual framework derived from systems theory, he made significant contributions to our understanding of the role of warfare in human social evolution. He formulated a Fraternal Interest Group theory, which he used to explain not only feuding and warfare but also rape and capital punishment. Believing that armed combat is learned behavior, he posed questions about its learning process that had yet to be answered. He served as a major synthesizer of the growing literature on warfare and led efforts among anthropologists to apply their knowledge of war and peace to current events. This volume will serve as a valuable introduction to the anthropology of war and as a comprehensive compendium of Professor Otterbein's ideas.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367609405