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The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders, Kinship Society, and Misrepresentations of Nomadic Inner Asia
David Sneath
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Description for The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders, Kinship Society, and Misrepresentations of Nomadic Inner Asia
Hardback. Dispels the myths surrounding the history of steppe societies and proposes a fresh understanding of the nature and formation of the state. Drawing on his extensive anthropological fieldwork in the region, the author persuasively challenges the legitimacy of the tribal model, which continues to distort scholarship on the history of Inner Asia. Num Pages: 288 pages, 3 maps. BIC Classification: 1F; JHMC. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 234 x 158 x 21. Weight in Grams: 546.
In this groundbreaking work, social anthropologist David Sneath aggressively dispels the myths surrounding the history of steppe societies and proposes a new understanding of the nature and formation of the state. Since the colonial era, representations of Inner Asia have been dominated by images of fierce nomads organized into clans and tribes-but as Sneath reveals, these representations have no sound basis in historical fact. Rather, they are the product of nineteenth-century evolutionist social theory, which saw kinship as the organizing principle in a nonstate society. Sneath argues that aristocratic power and statelike processes of administration were the true organizers ... Read more
In this groundbreaking work, social anthropologist David Sneath aggressively dispels the myths surrounding the history of steppe societies and proposes a new understanding of the nature and formation of the state. Since the colonial era, representations of Inner Asia have been dominated by images of fierce nomads organized into clans and tribes-but as Sneath reveals, these representations have no sound basis in historical fact. Rather, they are the product of nineteenth-century evolutionist social theory, which saw kinship as the organizing principle in a nonstate society. Sneath argues that aristocratic power and statelike processes of administration were the true organizers ... Read more
Product Details
Publisher
Columbia University Press United States
Number of pages
288
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2008
Condition
New
Weight
546g
Number of Pages
288
Place of Publication
New York, United States
ISBN
9780231140546
SKU
V9780231140546
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About David Sneath
David Sneath is director of the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit at Cambridge University and a lecturer in social anthropology. He conducted doctoral research in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s and since then has carried out research in Mongolia and other parts of Inner Asia.
Reviews for The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders, Kinship Society, and Misrepresentations of Nomadic Inner Asia
A study rich in both historical fact and linguistic analysis... Highly recommended. Choice The author presents intelligent, clearly writtenarguments, disagreement with which should callfor serious reflection.
Daniel Prior Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute
Daniel Prior Journal of the Royal Anthropological institute