![]() ![]() (Scythians can't hold their liquor like Greeks can.) They are devoted to passions - lust, rage, vengeance - which they cannot control.They have no fixed abode, but lead wandering lives.As in many other areas of human thought, the thing called "civilization" is understood largely through contrast with its opposite, "savagery." The most stimulating aspect of this book is Williams' demonstration of how the elements of "savagery" have a remarkable continuity throughout history, regardless of specific times, places, and peoples.Īmong the characteristics of the "savage," he finds: Williams' thesis is that the idea of the savage permeates and helps to shape Western civilization. And why shouldn't he? Western observers have been making sweeping judgments about indigenous peoples, based on little or no evidence, since 1492. So I was intrigued to find that he was taking on the whole sweep of "Western civ" from an indigenous perspective. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I already knew of Robert Williams for his work on American Indian legal issues and as a contributor to the conceptual framework of settler colonialism. ![]()
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