The Nomadic Alternative
Thomas J. Barfield
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
1993

The Nomadic Alternative is an ethnographic and historical examination of nomadic pastoral societies in Africa, the Near East, Iranian Plateau, and Central Eurasia.  The book focuses on the ecology of nomadic pastoralism, comparative social organization of pastoral peoples, political relations between nomads and the outside world, the rise and fall of great steppe empires, and the future of nomads in the modern world.  It is designed to provide the reader with the basic information needed to understand nomadic way of life in general, and then to











move on to an examination of each cultural area using specific ethnographic cases to develop and support the theoretical issues raised. 
The works follows a set of themes in each chapter, enabling readers to compare them across cultures and historical periods.
View Table of Contents
These themes include:


    • ecology of pastoral nomadism

    • comparative social organization of pastoral peoples

    • political relations with the outside world

    • the rise and fall of great steppe empires

    • the future of nomads and the outside world











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(ISBN: 0136249825 )
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