Social Evolution

Social Evolution

Author: Mark Pluciennik

ISBN: 978-9389391244

Price: Rs. 549.00 • ✓ 100% Genuine Publisher Edition

Book Overview

The concept of social evolution in its modern form became widespread 250 years ago as part of the Enlightenment, and yet it still structures the thinking of academics, politicians and the public in a myriad ways. Hunter-gatherers become the repository of the natural or primitive; civilisation and 'our' history is deemed to begin with farming societies; and state societies are seen as the only gateway to social complexity. Through a historical and comparative review, this book challenges the idea that social evolution and the inevitability of progress is self-evident, and examines the connections of progressive social evolution with various ideologies and projects, from emancipation to racism, colonialism and imperialism and contemporary ideas of the new world order. Mark Pluciennik suggests that taking a critical stance allows other ways of thinking about and writing history to come into better focus, enabling us to ask different kinds of questions about the nature of change in human societies, and to treat social evolution in a more nuanced way.

Browse this title within our Top 100 Books collection. Edition details: Images in this review, English, 156 pages. Reference ISBN: 978-9389391244.

About the Author

Mark Pluciennik is Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Leicester. His publications include edited volumes on archaeological ethics and archaeological approaches to the human body; and numerous journal papers and book chapters on many subject, from narrative analysis in archaeology to the history of hunter-gatherer studies.

Book Specifications & Quick Facts

Reading Level
Students & Academic Researchers
Language & Format
English • Images in this review
ISBN Reference
978-9389391244
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd
Pan-India Delivery
Dispatches in 24–48 Hours across India

What is this book about?

The concept of social evolution in its modern form became widespread 250 years ago as part of the Enlightenment, and yet it still structures the thinking of academics, politicians and the public in a myriad ways. Hunter-gatherers become the repository of the natural or primitive; civilisation and...

Who should read this book?

Valuable for university students, educators, and scholars seeking authoritative reference material and structured subject mastery.

Why Readers Pick This Edition

  • You’ll love this book for how confidently it unsettles ideas you may have taken for granted. Instead of repeating the familiar story of inevitable progress from “primitive” to “civilised,” it invites you to question where those ideas came from and who they have served. Through clear historical comparisons, you’ll see how theories of social evolution shaped projects from emancipation to colonialism. It’s a rewarding, thought-provoking read that sharpens your critical lens and opens new ways of thinking about human history and social change.
  • Published by Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd.
  • Language: English.
  • Page count: 156.

Catalog Description

The concept of social evolution in its modern form became widespread 250 years ago as part of the Enlightenment, and yet it still structures the thinking of academics, politicians and the public in a myriad ways. Hunter-gatherers become the repository of the natural or primitive; civilisation and 'our' history is deemed to begin with farming societies; and state societies are seen as the only gateway to social complexity. Through a historical and comparative review, this book challenges the idea that social evolution and the inevitability of progress is self-evident, and examines the connections of progressive social evolution with various ideologies and projects, from emancipation to...

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