Stratagems And Spoils: A Social Anthropology Of Politics
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
A landmark work in political anthropology, Stratagems and Spoils: A Social Anthropology of Politics presents a sharp and analytically rigorous examination of how political actors compete for power, resources, and influence across a wide range of human societies. F. G. Bailey argues that beneath the surface of any political system lies a universal set of pragmatic rules and strategies that individuals deploy to win, regardless of the cultural context in which they operate. Drawing on vivid ethnographic examples, the work illustrates the distinction between normative rules—the publicly proclaimed ideals of political life—and pragmatic rules, the unspoken tactics that actually govern competitive behavior. Written with incisive wit and intellectual clarity, Bailey's framework strips away ideological pretense to reveal politics as a fundamentally strategic game of maneuvering, coalition-building, and calculated risk. Widely adopted as a foundational text in political anthropology courses, Stratagems and Spoils remains an essential and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of power in human society.
Author: F. G. Bailey
Format: Paperback
Published: 1970, Basil Blackwell
Genre: Anthropology
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
A landmark work in political anthropology, Stratagems and Spoils: A Social Anthropology of Politics presents a sharp and analytically rigorous examination of how political actors compete for power, resources, and influence across a wide range of human societies. F. G. Bailey argues that beneath the surface of any political system lies a universal set of pragmatic rules and strategies that individuals deploy to win, regardless of the cultural context in which they operate. Drawing on vivid ethnographic examples, the work illustrates the distinction between normative rules—the publicly proclaimed ideals of political life—and pragmatic rules, the unspoken tactics that actually govern competitive behavior. Written with incisive wit and intellectual clarity, Bailey's framework strips away ideological pretense to reveal politics as a fundamentally strategic game of maneuvering, coalition-building, and calculated risk. Widely adopted as a foundational text in political anthropology courses, Stratagems and Spoils remains an essential and thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of power in human society.