Warfare and Culture in World History

Warfare and Culture

by Wayne E. Lee (Editor), José van Dijck, Lee L. Brice (Contributor)

It has long been acknowledged that the study of war and warfare demands careful consideration of technology, institutions, social organization, and more. But, for some, the so-called "war and society" approach increasingly included everything but explained nothing, because it all too often seemed to ignore the events on the battlefield itself.

The military historians in Warfare and Culture in World History return us to the battlefield, but they do so through a deep examination of the role of culture in shaping military institutions and military choices. Collected here are some of the most provocative recent efforts to analyze warfare through a cultural lens, drawing on and aggressively expanding traditional scholarship on war and society through
sophisticated cultural analysis. With chapters ranging from an organizational analysis of American Civil War field armies to the soldiers' culture of late Republican Rome and debates within Ming Chinese officialdom over extermination versus pacification, this one volume provides a full range of case studies of how culture, whether
societal, strategic, organizational, or military, could shape not only military institutions but also actual battlefield choices.

Genres: History

238 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

A specialist in early modern military history, with a particular focus on North America and the Atlantic World, Wayne Lee is Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays on the interplay between warfare and culture in world history from the Ancient Assyrians to the American military after WWII.

[Willy Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good non fiction read. I used it for research for my Thesis project in rhetoric and composition.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bezoars...

[Chase Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays provides multiple frames for considering cultures impact on militaries and warfare. Each essay addresses different aspects of cultural impact providing the reader with useful perspective. Best of all the inclusion of non-Western examples and some less well known examples (German military in Africa pre WWI) are likely to offer most readers new historical context. That said the book lacks a solid conclusion or wrap up leaving it to the reader to pull the various perspectives together. Despite that this is a solid read for those interested in how culture impacts warfare and militaries.