George Kassimeris

The Barbarization of Warfare George Kassimeris

Brief Description: "This book shows us the true barbarism of warfare. It makes brilliant but unsettling reading. Viewed together, the essays offer as good a sustained critique of war as is available anywhere in print, combined with a passion and engagement that is all too rare in first rate scholarship. The book is to be greatly treasured as an important contribution in a field of study that remains depressingly relevant in the world today." --C. A. Gearty, London School of EconomicsThe images from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad have been a grim reminder of warfare's undiminished capacity for brutality and indiscriminate excess. What happened in Abu Ghraib has happened before: the World War II, and more recent wars and insurgencies in Algeria, Congo, Angola, Vietnam, Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, and many others, all bear witness to the ever-present human capacity to commit barbaric acts if circumstances allow. What drives people to mistreat, humiliate, and torment others? In an age when real time war, violence, and torture are becoming addictive forms of entertainment, it is now more critical than ever to deepen our understanding of the extraordinary distortions of the human psyche and spirit that occur in wartime. Eight distinguished scholars explore, in this first collective effort, the effects of the barbarization of warfare on our cultures and societies. Contributors: Joanna Bourke, Richard Overy, Hew Strachan, Paul Rogers, Caroline Elkins, Amir Weiner, Mary Habeck, and David Simpson. Review Quotes: "This book shows us the true barbarism of warfare. It makes brilliant but unsettling reading, Viewed together, the essays offer as good a sustained critique of war as is available anywhere in print, combined with a passion and engagement that is all too rare in first rate scholarship. The book is to be greatly treasured as an important contribution in a field of study that remains depressingly relevant in the world today." -- C. A. GeartyReview Quotes: aWarfare, [Kassimeris] reminds us, can foster the best of human virtues. But it can also provide an arena in which a nationas true character is demonstrated in the eyes of the world.a - "Kansas City Star"Review Quotes: "This book shows us the true barbarism of warfare. It makes brilliant but unsettling reading. Viewed together, the essays offer as good a sustained critique of war as is available anywhere in print, combined with a passion and engagement that is all too rare in first rate scholarship. The book is to be greatly treasured as an important contribution in a field of study that remains depressingly relevant in the world today." - C. A. Gearty, London School of EconomicsReview Quotes:"Warfare, [Kassimeris] reminds us, can foster the best of human virtues. But it can also provide an arena in which a nation's true character is demonstrated in the eyes of the world."-"Kansas City Star", Review Quotes:"This book shows us the true barbarism of warfare. It makes brilliant but unsettling reading. Viewed together, the essays offer as good a sustained critique of war as is available anywhere in print, combined with a passion and engagement that is all too rare in first rate scholarship. The book is to be greatly treasured as an important contribution in a field of study that remains depressingly relevant in the world today."-C. A. Gearty, London School of EconomicsReview Quotes: ("This book shows us the true barbarism of warfare. It makes brilliant but unsettling reading. Viewed together, the essays offer as good a sustained critique of war as is available anywhere in print, combined with a passion and engagement that is all too rare in first rate scholarship. The book is to be greatly treasured as an important contribution in a field of study that remains depressingly relevant in the world today.")-(C. A. Gearty), (London School of Economics) Review Quotes: ("Warfare, [Kassimeris] reminds us, can foster the best of human virtues. But it can also provide an arena in which a nation's true character is demonstrated in the eyes of the world.")-("Kansas City Star"), () Review Quotes:"Lois takes readers inside the social world of search and rescue volunteers, offering sociological insight into topics such as gender, emotions, and identity."-"American Journal of Sociology", Review Quotes:"Jennifer Lois'outstanding in-depth ethnography of mountain search and rescue teams yields insight not only into the specific heroic culture of rescue workers, but also more generally into that of other risk-takers such as firefighters, police officers, and ER doctors. Lois focuses on the way emotions drive some and impede others, how difficult emotions are handled in crisis situations and released afterwards, and the emotional currency or repayment between heroes and those they rescue. She skillfully shows the way heroism intertwines with masculinity, producing an organizational culture stratified by gender. Finally, she discusses the transference of the hero identity from the group to individual members and their subsequent self-effacement in a culture of false modesty when interacting with their support community."-Patricia A. Adler, University of Colorado at BoulderReview Quotes:"Heroic Efforts began as a dissertation, but ends as one of the best book on emotions I have read in years. If you want a glimpse into the power of really good ethnography and the reason we need both qualitative and quantitative research, this book will provide you with both entertainment and sagacity."-"Contemporary Sociology", Review Quotes:"[Lois] examines how rescuers construct meaning in their lives and define themselves through their risky, demanding work."-"Seattle Times", Marc Notes: Avail. in paper.; Includes bibliographical references and index. Biographical Note: George Kassimeris is a Senior Research Fellow in Conflict and Terrorism at the University of Wolverhampton. He is the author of "Europe's Last Red Terrorists" (NYU Press) the first book in any language on Greece's notorious November 17th terrorist group. He writes regularly for the "Wall Street Journal Europe" and the "International Herald Tribune" and is now working on a biography of Andreas Papandreou.

Contributor Bio:  Kassimeris, George George Kassimeris is a Senior Research Fellow in Conflict and Terrorism at the University of Wolverhampton. He is the author of "Europe's Last Red Terrorists" (NYU Press) the first book in any language on Greece's notorious November 17th terrorist group. He writes regularly for the "Wall Street Journal Europe" and the "International Herald Tribune" and is now working on a biography of Andreas Papandreou.