Factional Competition and Political Development in the New World

Factionalism Is An Important Force Of Social Transformation And This Volume Examines How Factional Competition In The Kinship And Political Structures In Ancient New World Societies Led To The Development Of Chiefdoms States And Empires. The Case Studies From A Range Of New World Societies Represent All Levels Of Non-Egalitarian Societies And A Wide Variety Of Ecological Settings In The New World. They Document The Effects Of Factionalism On The Structure Of Particular Polities: For Example How It Might Have Led To The Growth Of Social Inequality Or To Changing Patterns Of Chiefly Authority Or To State Formation And Expansion Or Institutional Specialisation. The Work Is A Creative And Substantial Contribution To Our Understanding Of The Political Dynamics In Early State Society And Will Interest Archaeologists Anthropologists Political Scientists And Historians.