Work, Sex, and Power: The Forces that Shaped Our History

by Willie Thompson

The forces that shape our history are always contentious, yet our fascination with what drives the actions of the human race is inexhaustible. In Guns, Germs, and Steel , Jared Diamond proposed one set of forces; Willie Thompson, in Work, Sex, and Power , suggests a far more radical and fundamental trio. Deploying decades of experience as a historian, Thompson re-establishes a materialist narrative of the entire span of human history, drawing on a vast range of contemporary research.
            Written in a clear and compelling style, this sweeping, ambitious history is accessible to audiences who are new to Marxism. Thompson discusses and explains the foundations of social structures and themes that have recurred throughout the phases of global history in the interaction between humans and their environment. From communities of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to the machine-civilization of recent centuries, Thompson takes us on a journey through the latest thinking in regard to long-term historical development.

Genres: History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2015

About the author

Willie Thompson was until his retirement Professor of Contemporary History at Glasgow Caledonian University. His books, published by Pluto Press, include The Good Old Cause: British Communism 1920-1991 (1992), What Happened to History? (2000) and Ideologies in the Age of Extremes: Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, Fascism 1914-91 (2011).

Reviews

[Pinko Palest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started very promisingly, but the later chapters seem to have been a bit of a chore for the author. On the plus side, it is an excellent review of some of the recent work on history. On the minus, though, has a morbidly pessimistic view of the history of humanity, and is just a nudge away from blanket condemnation of all past human experience. So, for example, while there is a lot on language, there is nothing at all on language as dialogue. There is almost nothing on laughter, humour, games, partying and generally on all human activities that make life worthwhile. Such an approach is not inimical to a marxist reading (witness Bakthin), but is sadly all too often ignored by many marxist scholars

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A generally very readable overview covering the entire span of prehistory and history from a materialist perspective. The title obscures the main thrust somewhat - really this is Power, (extracting) Work, and just a little bit of Sex, and we shouldn't be surprised that it's not particularly cheerful about the lived experience of most of humanity through history. It ends, though, with a call to action, and the suggestion that we cannot separate an effective response to the current environmental crisis from continuing "the emancipatory effort of the 19th and 20th centuries". Which right now sounds rather like a Green Industrial Revolution.

[Dennis Drevell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical deep dive on the forces that have shaped our society, interesting but long and overly academic

[Syrena · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was on the reading list I had for Intro in World History. I found it to be dry and for a lack of a better word, boring. The book almost comes off as he says what he wants to talk about in the first 3rd of the book. After your left with him repeating and dragging the rest out. I would of like some more of his insight too.