The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future. Dr. Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory that accounts for collapse among diverse kinds of societies, evaluating his model and clarifying the processes of disintegration by detailed studies of the Roman, Mayan and Chacoan collapses. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future. Dr. Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory that accounts for collapse among diverse kinds of societies, evaluating his model and clarifying the processes of disintegration by detailed studies of the Roman, Mayan and Chacoan collapses. Table of Contents Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction to collapse; 2. The nature of complex societies; 3. The study of collapse; 4. Understanding collapse: the marginal productivity of sociopolitical change; 5. Evaluation: complexity and marginal returns in collapsing societies; 6. Summary and implications; References; Index. Review Tainters model accommodates all levels of complexity and all kinds of evidence. It deserves to be widely read. Antiquity Tainters is an attractive and compelling thesis, of a genre which is nearly extinct among domestic historians. History Today Review Quote "While the theoretical part of the book is quite remarkable and based on exceptional erudition, I also found the accumulation of the supporting data to be interesting reading . . . The merit of the book is that it is interesting. It modifies some of our views about early states and their collapse mainly by using data. It also shows how archaeology in alliance with social sciences opens the way for a comparative analysis of change in political and other cultural institutions." European Cultural Heritage Promotional "Headline" Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory. Description for Bookstore Any explanation of political collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all complex societies in both the present and future. Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory. Description for Library Any explanation of political collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all complex societies in both the present and future. Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory. Details ISBN052138673X Author Joseph Tainter Publisher Cambridge University Press Series New Studies in Archaeology Language English ISBN-10 052138673X ISBN-13 9780521386739 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 930 Year 1990 Publication Date 1990-03-31 Imprint Cambridge University Press Place of Publication Cambridge Country of Publication United Kingdom Short Title COLLAPSE OF COMPLEX SOCIETIES Pages 262 DOI 10.1604/9780521386739 Audience Professional and Scholarly UK Release Date 1990-03-29 AU Release Date 1990-03-29 NZ Release Date 1990-03-29 Illustrations 1 Halftones, unspecified; 30 Line drawings, unspecified We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:7711810;

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