1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910459839603321

Autore

Chaliand Gérard

Titolo

A Global History of War : From Assyria to the Twenty-First Century / / Gérard Chaliand

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, CA : , : University of California Press, , [2014]

©2014

ISBN

0-520-95943-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (309 p.)

Disciplina

355.0209

Soggetti

War

Strategy - History

War - History

War and civilization

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Maps -- Foreword -- Preface -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Overview -- Chapter 2. The First Military Empire -- Chapter 3. The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire -- Chapter 4. The Arabs -- Chapter 5. The Nomads of the Eurasian Steppes -- Chapter 6. The Seljuks, the Mamluks, and the Crusades -- Chapter 7. The Mongol Empire -- Chapter 8. Timur the Lame -- Chapter 9. The Ottomans -- Chapter 10. Safavid Persia -- Chapter 11. The Ming and Chinese Politico-Military Traditions -- Chapter 12. The Manchu and the End of the Nomads -- Chapter 13. The Mughals and Islam in India -- Chapter 14. Russia and the End of the Tatars -- Chapter 15. The Ascent of Europe -- Chapter 16. The Time of Revolutions -- Chapter 17. Guerrilla Warfare -- Chapter 18. From Total War to Asymmetrical Conflict -- Chapter 19. Conclusion -- Select Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

While many books examine specific wars, few study the history of war worldwide and from an evolutionary perspective. A Global History of War is one of the first works to focus not on the impact of war on civilizations, but rather on how civilizations impact the art and



execution of war. World-renowned scholar Gérard Chaliand concentrates on the peoples and cultures who have determined how war is conducted and reveals the lasting historical consequences of combat, offering a unique picture of the major geopolitical and civilizational clashes that have rocked our common history and made us who we are today. Chaliand's questions provoke a new understanding of the development of armed conflict. How did the foremost non-European empires rise and fall? What critical role did the nomads of the Eurasian steppes and their descendants play? Chaliand illuminates the military cultures and martial traditions of the great Eurasian empires, including Turkey, China, Iran, and Mongolia. Based on fifteen years of research, this book provides a novel military and strategic perspective on the crises and conflicts that have shaped the current world order.

2.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810035003321

Autore

Roughgarden Joan

Titolo

Evolution's rainbow [[electronic resource] ] : diversity, gender, and sexuality in nature and people / / Joan Roughgarden

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley : , : University of California Press, , [2013]

©2013

ISBN

0-520-95797-0

Edizione

[Tenth anniversary edition /]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (491 p.)

Disciplina

305.3

Soggetti

Biodiversity

Sexual behavior in animals

Gender identity

Gender Identity

Sexual Behavior

Sexual orientation

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

part one. Animal rainbows -- part two. Human rainbows -- part three.



Cultural rainbows.

Sommario/riassunto

In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science-and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. Witty, playful, and daring, this book will revolutionize our understanding of sexuality. Roughgarden argues that principal elements of Darwinian sexual selection theory are false and suggests a new theory that emphasizes social inclusion and control of access to resources and mating opportunity. She disputes a range of scientific and medical concepts, including Wilson's genetic determinism of behavior, evolutionary psychology, the existence of a gay gene, the role of parenting in determining gender identity, and Dawkins's "selfish gene" as the driver of natural selection. She dares social science to respect the agency and rationality of diverse people; shows that many cultures across the world and throughout history accommodate people we label today as lesbian, gay, and transgendered; and calls on the Christian religion to acknowledge the Bible's many passages endorsing diversity in gender and sexuality. Evolution's Rainbow concludes with bold recommendations for improving education in biology, psychology, and medicine; for democratizing genetic engineering and medical practice; and for building a public monument to affirm diversity as one of our nation's defining principles.