Keywords
Michael Mann
historical sociology
How to Cite
Number of views: 93
Number of downloads: 42
Abstract
Michael Mann’s latest book, On Wars (2023), is a monumental work of historical sociology, which, in addition to empirical material, presents an integral theory of war. The book analyzes wars throughout history, from ancient Rome and China, through Europe (1000–1945), to contemporary Japan, South America, and Muslim countries in the 20th and 21st centuries, concluding with remarks on the war in Ukraine. It covers both the macrosocial and microsociological perspectives (the fear and revulsion of soldiers and civilians). Mann sees war as a constant existential threat and an irrational and ineffective means of exercising power that has accompanied humanity for 5,000 years. He also notes that wars are not disappearing, but are becoming less predictable and fraught with the risk of unexpected consequences.
References
Aron Raymond, Peace and War. A Theory of International Relations, Anchor Press/Doubleday, New York 1973.
Collins Randall, Violence. A Micro-Sociological Theory, Princeton University Press, Princeton 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400831753
Mann Michael, Incoherent Empire, Verso, London 2003.
Mann Michael, On Wars, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2023.
Mann Michael, The Sources of Social Power, Vol.: I (1986) [2012], II (1993) [2012], III (2012), IV (2013), Cambridge University Press.
Spagat Michael, Jon Pedersen, Khalil Shikaki, Michael Robbins, Eran Bendavid, Håvard Hegre, Debarati Guha-Sapir, Violent and Nonviolent Death Tolls for the Gaza War: New Primary Evidence, medRxiv https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.19.25329797v4
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Łukasz M. Dominiak
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.