Bloodtaking and Peacemaking (Paperback, New edition)

Dubbed by the "New York Times" as "one of the most sought-after legal academics in the county," William Ian Miller presents the arcane worlds of the Old Norse studies in a way sure to attract the interest of a wide range of readers. "Bloodtaking and Peacemaking" delves beneath the chaos and brutality of the Norse world to discover a complex interplay of ordering and disordering impulses. Miller's unique and engaging readings of ancient Iceland's sagas and extensive legal code reconstruct and illuminate the society that produced them.
People in the saga world negotiated a maze of violent possibility, with strategies that frequently put life and limb in the balance. But there was a paradox in striking the balance--one could not get even without going one better. Miller shows how blood vengeance, law, and peacemaking were inextricably bound together in the feuding process.
This book offers fascinating insights into the politics of a stateless society, its methods of social control, and the role that a uniquely sophisticated and self-conscious law played in the construction of Icelandic society.
"Illuminating."--Rory McTurk, "Times Literary Supplement"
"An impressive achievement in ethnohistory; it is an amalgam of historical research with legal and anthropological interpretation. What is more, and rarer, is that it is a pleasure to read due to the inclusion of narrative case material from the sagas themselves."--Dan Bauer, "Journal of Interdisciplinary History"

General

Imprint:	University of Chicago Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	February 1997
First published:	February 1997
Authors:	William Ian Miller
Dimensions:	227 x 153 x 27mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	415
Edition:	New edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-226-52680-5
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Anthropology > General Books > History > European history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
LSN:	0-226-52680-1
Barcode:	9780226526805

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!