Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity

Lecture 27: Power and Its Origins

Harris, “The Origin of Pristine States” (in Cannibals and Kings).

Johnson and Earle, The Evolution of Human Societies.

1. What is power?


2. Is it possible to analyze power relations in today’s world using the
   categories of “power from above” and “power from below”?

Supplementary Reading

Questions to Consider