Review by Choice Review
This all-encompassing overview of violence is organized into an introduction, four major sections, and a conclusion. Domestic violence, regulation of antisocial behavior, institutional treatment of violence, and escalating global violence are all addressed in 28 chapters, each with individual bibliographies. The volume does not aim to provide solutions, but rather to consider the many causes of violence, the relationship between culture and biology, the social and political structures supporting violence, and the nature of terrorism. The editor situates violence within four "worlds": Western industrial/capitalist (first world); industrial, socialist (second); undeveloped, focused on survival (third); and indigenous/minority/ethnic (fourth). Individual chapters range from the more personal to the more analytical, and include analyses of power structures focused on childhood, gender, age, war, politics, business, and culture. Although the book provides a valuable look at a huge topic, the approaches to and readability of the chapters vary, and often draw too freely on jargon and technical terminology to be easily appreciated or followed by average readers. This thorough look at violence in most forms and on all continents will appeal mainly to anthropology and sociology graduates and professionals. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. S. Brown University of California, Los Angeles
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
