The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760

The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760 by Michael Mann

This is the first part of a three-volume work on the nature of power in human societies. In it, Michael Mann identifies the four principal 'sources' of power as being control over economic, ideological, military, and political resources. He examines the interrelations between these in a narrative history of power from Neolithic times, through ancient Near Eastern civilisations, the classical Mediterranean age, and medieval Europe, up to just before the Industrial Revolution in England. Rejecting the conventional monolithic concept of a 'society', Dr. Mann's model is instead one of a series of overlapping, intersecting power networks. He makes this model operational by focusing on the logistics of power - how the flow of information, manpower, and goods is controlled over social and geographical space-thereby clarifying many of the 'great debates' in sociological theory. The present volume offers explanations of the emergence of the state and social stratification.

' … an impressively learned, wise and judicious studyIt is a major work - perhaps a great work - and will be a landmark, for sure.' William H. McNeill, University of Chicago
' … a very considerable accomplishment. There is no doubt in my mind that the book is an important contribution to comparative sociology.' Anthony Giddens, King's College, Cambridge

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780521313490
ISBN 10	052131349X
Title	The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760
Author	Michael Mann
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	1986-04-30
Number of pages	560
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable