Primate politics
By: edited by Glendon Schubert and Roger D. Masters ; foreword by Albert Somit.
Contributors: Schubert, Glendon A.; Masters, Roger D.
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
Published: 1991
Place of publication: Carbondale
Language: eng
Number of pages: 296
Subjects: Primates -- Evolution.; Primates -- Behavior.; Human behavior.; Political anthropology.
Description: The first book to focus on the political behavior of primates also undertakes to compare human social behavior with that of nonhuman primates. The editors contribute probing introductory essays to each of the three major parts of the volume in addition to their article-length introductory and concluding chapters. In his conclusion, Masters indicates directions for future work. Part I is devoted to theoretical clarification of the interrelationships between the study of primates and humans. Part II presents two examples of comparisons between animal and human social behavior that throw valuable light on contemporary political and social systems. Part III focuses more precisely on contemporary human politics, providing two concrete examples of ethological perspectives on human political behavior. In both cases, nonverbal cues studied by primatologists are shown to illuminate the dynamics of human politics.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-281) and indexes.
Based on papers from a symposium held Jul. 24, 1984 at the National Museum of Kenya as part of the Tenth Congress of the International Primatological Society.