About Book

The Anthropology of Peace and Nonviolence offers a rare and important exploration of peace-oriented practices in diverse indigenous societies across six regions: Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Venezuela. Edited by Leslie E. Sponsel and Thomas Gregor, this volume expands the scope of anthropology by moving beyond studies of violence and warfare to highlight communities that nurture traditions of harmony, cooperation, and nonviolent conflict resolution. The contributors examine rituals, cosmologies, and social institutions that sustain peaceful coexistence, demonstrating that peace is not merely the absence of war but an active cultural construction. By focusing on understudied examples, the book challenges prevailing assumptions about human aggression and contributes to a broader understanding of how societies cultivate nonviolence. This edited volume provides a crucial corrective to the violence-centered focus of much anthropological scholarship. It reveals peace as an equally significant human phenomenon worthy of study and emulation. For scholars, students, and practitioners, the book enriches the theoretical and practical landscape of peace studies.