On Kings

By David Graeber, Marshall Sahlins

Categories: History, Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropologists David Graeber and Marshall Sahlins examine kingship as one of the oldest and most widespread forms of political authority. Their 2017 book combines essays by both authors exploring why kings have so often been linked to gods and cosmic forces. Case studies range from the BaKongo and the Aztecs to the Shilluk, and the authors use them to ask how sovereignty and the state emerged in human societies.

Recommended by 1 person

• Seth Godin: “As Sahlins and Graeber outline in their extraordinary (and dense) book on Kings, there's often a pattern in the nature of monarchs.”