Glendon Schubert

This book examines the political behavior of primates in the context of a comparison of human and nonhuman social life. Essays by leading scholars from primatology and the social sciences explore the extent to which it is justifiable to speak of politics as a phenomenon among primates and show how human politics can be more deeply understood in the light of hominid evolution and primate behavior. The new paperback edition includes a new preface which reviews developments in the field since the original publication by Southern Illinois University Press in 1991. Contents: Foreword by Albert Somit; Preface to the Paperback Edition, Glendon Shubert and Roger D. Masters; Editors' Preface; PART I: PRIMATOLOGY AND POLITICS; Introduction: Primatological Theory, Glendon Schubert; Primate Politics, Glendon Schubert; On the Significance of the Concept of the Harem When Applied to Animals, Thelma E. Rowell; Redefining the Social Link: From Baboons to Humans, Shirley S. Strum and Bruno Latour; PART II: CHIMPANZEES; Introduction: The Missing Political Link, Glendon Schubert; Gombe Chimpanzee Politics, Jane Goodall; Sex Differences in the Formation of Coalitions among Chimpanzees, Frans B. M. de Waal; PART III: HUMAN; Introduction: Human Politics, Roger D. Masters; Tolerated Theft: Suggestions about the Ecology and Evolution of Sharing, Hoarding, and Scrounging, Nicholas G. Blurton Jones; Facial Displays and Political Leadership: Some Experimental Findings; Denis G. Sullivan and Roger D. Masters; Human Volcalizations in Agonistic Political Encounters, James N. Schubert; Conclusion: Primate Politics and Political Theory, Roger D. Masters; References; Notes on Contributors; Name Index; Subject Index.

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.