Why did ancient states collapse? : the dysfunctional state
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Ancient states were rooted in agriculture, sedentism and population growth. They were fragile and prone to collapse, but there is no consensus on the causes or meaning of collapse, and there is an ongoing debate about the importance, nature and even existence of state-wide collapse
Explanations of collapse in terms of competing mono-causal factors are found inferior to those incorporating dynamic, interactive systems. It is proposed that collapse should be explained as failure to fulfil the ancient state’s core functions: assurance of food supplies, defence against external attack, maintenance of internal peace, imposition of its will throughout its territory, enforcement of state-wide laws, and promotion of an ideology to legitimise the political and social status quo.
To fulfil these functions certain necessary conditions must be met. The legitimacy of the political and social status quo, including the distribution of political power and wealth, needs to be accepted; the state should be able to extract sufficient resources to fulfil its functions such as defence; it must be able to enforce its decisions; the ruling elite should share a common purpose and actions; the society needs to reflect a shared spirit (asibaya) and purpose across elites and commoners who believe it is worthy of defence.
Weaknesses and failure to meet any condition can interact to exacerbate the situation: maladministration, corruption and elite preoccupation with self aggrandisement can induce fiscal weakness, reduced military budgets and further invasion; it can induce neglect of key infrastructures (especially water management). Inequality, a commonly neglected factor despite ancient texts, can erode asibaya and legitimacy and alienate commoners from defence of the state.
These themes are explored in relation to the Egyptian Old Kingdom, Mycenae, the Western Roman Empire (WRE), and the Maya. They all exhibit, to varying degrees, weaknesses in meeting the above conditions necessary for stability. (Some of the explanatory political and social factors involved have modern analogies but that issue is not examined).
The American discovery of ancient Egypt.
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"Preliminary versions of these essays were presented at a symposium organized by the American Research Center in Egypt, held... at New York University, October 24-25, 1992" -- Foreword.
Companion to the exhibition catalog The American discovery of ancient Egypt : Los Angeles : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1995. :
188 pages : illustrations, maps ; 29 cm. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
0810963132
A lab of my own /
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What was it like to be a woman scientist battling the "old boy's" network during the 1960s and 1970s? Neena Schwartz, a prominent neuroendocrinologist at Northwestern University, tells all. She became a successful scientist and administrator at a time when few women entered science and fewer succeeded in establishing independent laboratories. She describes her personal career struggles, and those of others in academia, as well as the events which lead to the formation of the Association of Women in Science, and Women in Endocrinology, two national organizations, which have been successful in increasing the numbers of women scientists and their influence in their fields. The book intersperses this socio-political story with an account of Schwartz's personal life as a lesbian and a description of her research on the role of hormones in regulating reproductive cycles. In a chapter titled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," she examines the "evidence" from a scientist's point of view for the hormonal and genetic theories for homosexuality. Other chapters provide advice on mentoring young scientists and a discourse on why it matters to all of us to have more women doing and teaching science. She also describes the process of putting together an interdisciplinary Center on Reproductive Science at Northwestern, which brought together basic and clinical scientists in an internationally recognized program of research and practice.
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1 online resource (xx, 307 pages) : illustrations, portraits. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789042027381 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Containing (un)American bodies : race, sexuality, and post-9/11 constructions of citizenship /
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"The authors argue that queer, black, brown, and foreign bodies, and the so-called threats they represent, such as immigration reform and same-sex marriage, have been effectively linked with terrorism. These awful conflations are enduring and help to explain the contradictions of contemporary U.S. politics. We are far from a post post-9/11 world." Ronald R. Sundstrom, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of San Francisco, United States"If you want to understand how a new biopolitics of citizenship is containing bodies of the nation by re-inscribing sex and race into it and how this new biopolitics is being resisted you must read this book." Engin F. Isin, Professor, Department of Politics and International Studies, The Open University, UK.
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1 online resource (xiv, 120 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-109) and index. :
9789042030251 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.