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Barbara Ehrenreich
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Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War Hardcover – May 15, 1997

by Barbara Ehrenreich (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings
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An ALA Notable Book
A New York Times Notable Book

In Blood Rites, Barbara Ehrenreich confronts the mystery of the human attraction to violence: What draws our species to war and even makes us see it as a kind of sacred undertaking? Blood Rites takes us on an original journey from the elaborate human sacrifices of the ancient world to the carnage and holocaust of twentieth-century "total war." Sifting through the fragile records of prehistory, Ehrenreich discovers the wellspring of war in an unexpected place--not in a "killer instinct" unique to the males of our species but in the blood rites early humans performed to reenact their terrifying experience of predation by stronger carnivores. Brilliant in conception, rich in scope, Blood Rites is a monumental work that will transform our understanding of the greatest single threat to human life.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Metropolitan Books
  4. Publication date
    May 15, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    6.26 x 1.08 x 9.28 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0805050779
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0805050776
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this ambitious work, Barbara Ehrenreich offers a daring explanation for humans' propensity to wage war. Rather than approach the subject from a physiological perspective, pinpointing instinct or innate aggressiveness as the violent culprit, she reaches back to primitive man's fear of predators and the anxieties associated with life in the food chain. To deal with the reality of living as prey, she argues that blood rites were created to dramatize and validate the life-and-death struggle. Jumping ahead to the modern age, Ehrenreich brands nationalism a more sophisticated form of blood ritual, a phenomenon that conjures similar fears of predation, whether in the form of lost territory or the more extreme ethnic cleansing. Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War may not offer a cure for human aggression, but the author does present a convincing argument for the difficulties associated with achieving peace.

From Library Journal

Social critic and Time magazine essayist Ehrenreich (The Worst Years of Our Lives, LJ 4/15/90) turns her attention here to anthropology, delving into the causes of man's age-old interest in war. Her remarkable thesis is that primitive peoples were defined not so much by a killer predatory instinct as by their role as prey for other animals. Social constructs such as war and ritual sacrifice then developed as ways to reenact the primal emotions of being prey?the terror of facing a hungry beast. Her thesis is fascinating, and the anthropological exposition is well written and convincing, if mainly speculative. Ehrenreich's last section, which uses scattered examples from modern history to illustrate the "sacralization" of war, is also intriguing (if somewhat less convincing). Recommended for both public and academic libraries.?Robert Persing, Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Metropolitan Books; First Edition (May 15, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0805050779
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805050776
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.26 x 1.08 x 9.28 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

About the author

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Barbara Ehrenreich

Barbara Ehrenreich

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BARBARA EHRENREICH is the author of fourteen books, including the bestselling Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch. She lives in Virginia, USA.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
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8 customers mention "Thought provoking"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They say it's scholarly-oriented and provides rare insights into human nature. The book brings together religious, secular, and social science to understand human conflict on the societal level.

"In this deep and meticulously researched treatise on the origins of war Barbara Ehrenreich argues that 1.In our earliest history we were scavengers..." Read more

"...the "best of both worlds": it is very thought-provocative, very scholarly oriented, and at the same time, very well written for any type of reader...." Read more

"...Second part has mistakes but also some interesting ideas...." Read more

"...and I am very excited to find this to be one of the most interesting required readings I have had in a long time...." Read more

5 customers mention "Readable writing"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing. They find it readable and well-written for all readers.

"...very scholarly oriented, and at the same time, very well written for any type of reader...." Read more

"...Second part has mistakes but also some interesting ideas. This part is readable but as with most journalistic books, very anecdotal and not..." Read more

"...A must read by an excellent researcher and writer. It is a lost to our society her passing. Tery Foster" Read more

"...Many pleasurable hours getting lost in her knowledge and skillful writing." Read more

3 customers mention "Enjoyment"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it engrossing and enjoyable to read, spending many pleasurable hours immersed in the author's knowledge and skillful writing.

"I read it from beginning to end without a break and was enthralled. Sure, this book has some weak spots, but what book doesn't?..." Read more

"...Book I ordered was used with a lot of underlining, but it was a real pleasure to read." Read more

"...This book is no exception. Many pleasurable hours getting lost in her knowledge and skillful writing." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Annabel Ascher
    5.0 out of 5 stars War at the Heart of the Human Enterprise
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2006
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    In this deep and meticulously researched treatise on the origins of war Barbara Ehrenreich argues that 1.In our earliest history we were scavengers with no good defense mechanism, hardly the top of the food chain. 2.When humans developed the brain power to become an apex predator the wound inflicted by being a prey animal formed the basis of the first religious ceremonies as small bands of humans re-enacted the trauma of the predator prey relationship in sacrificial blood rites. 3.That about 12,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the agricultural revolution the large prey that consumed the attentions of the most violent segment of society had been all but hunted out. 4.Putting these men to work as warriors to replace their hunting niche was adaptative at the time. 5.War began as an organized human enterprise about 12,000 years ago as these new warriors captured people from other tribes to use in the blood rites and for slave labor.6.Finally, the fact that war was and is a social construct makes it no less real and no less dangerous as this formerly adaptative behavior has become inextricably intertwined with every aspect of our human lives over the last 12 millennia. In fact it has become the center of the human enterprise. Looking at the problem of war from the above perspective should alert those of us in the peace movement to the profound psychological transformation that must take place before we can make in headway at all. The fact that this close inspection of the earliest history is so timely today just proves Ehrenreich's central thesis as to the madness and intractability of war.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Joseph Jordania
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rare insight in human nature
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2011
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    The book has the "best of both worlds": it is very thought-provocative, very scholarly oriented, and at the same time, very well written for any type of reader. If you want to understand the evolutionary history of human passion for hunting and killing big predator species, and for wars, you need to read this book. The author has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. I am sure even if you consider yourself an expert in this sphere, you will still find plenty of new information on the history of blood shedding from our evolutionary past in African Savannah to our contemporary wars.

    I am sure the book will be enjoyed both by men and women readers. (For example, my feminist wife loved the book as well). So the book is NOT only for macho males as you might first think.
    So if you are even remotely interested, I strongly recommend to get it - you will not be disappointed!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • blooms
    3.0 out of 5 stars readable but not always accurate
    Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
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    First part on prehistory is way out of date and unknowledgable. Second part has mistakes but also some interesting ideas. This part is readable but as with most journalistic books, very anecdotal and not satisfying to historian.
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  • James E. Lane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eherenrich nails it again
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022
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    So let me get this straight: At first, men and women gather fruits and vegetables to eat. All is well except that from time to time, an animal kills one for food. So the humans tremble in fear. Then one man says to the other men, "Let's get together and become the predators. Then we won't have to fear them. And if we taste good to them, they might taste good to us. However, one objects: what about the women? The genius who concocted this idea (and thus discovered reason in the process) responds: Tell them we're working late at the office. The others say, "Perfect." They all marvel at their newfound reason and ability to plan things. They give each other the high sign. And so begins human history.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • olive
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2014
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    I was required to read this book for a class that I am taking and I am very excited to find this to be one of the most interesting required readings I have had in a long time. A lot of really interesting points that really make you question the idea behind today's wars.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Should We Have More War ?
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2015
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    I read the great military sci-fi writer Lois McMaster Bujold once, in an interview, say that to do away with war, we(meaning the nations of the world) should apply a strategy similar to the ones successfully used against malaria, polio and smallpox; that is, to identify the reasons we indulge in war. If we had a "blue-ribbon panel" of prestigious experts, similar to the way our Center for Disease Control used to work, root out the causes, then we could work to eliminate or alleviate the reasons until it just wouldn't occur to anyone to start a war.
    This book is a good first step in that direction. It recognises the rise of Ike's "Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex" and was written before the ugly 9/11 events encouraged the rise of American proto-fascism, but such a singular serious scholarly writer examining the question makes a real discussion - and debate - possible. Not for knee-jerk anti-progressives, though.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Terry Foster
    5.0 out of 5 stars How War Began
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2022
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    This an excellent book on how war began with humans and has become embedded in the human psyche. A must read by an excellent researcher and writer. It is a lost to our society her passing.

    Tery Foster
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Ron E. Goulet
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good product
    Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2023
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    Book arrived in very good condition and on time, as advertised. Thanks!
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  • shivkumar pandey
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in India on October 15, 2014
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    Understood that passion is the reason for war,the passion to see blood and the satisfaction of human ego
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  • Ute Knoetgen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Herleitung des Phänomens Krieg aus der Urzeit des Menschen.
    Reviewed in Germany on March 1, 2014
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    Das Buch gibt eine ungewöhnliche Deutung für die Faszination, die alles Blutige für den Menschen hat, so auch der Krieg. Es ist sehr gut recherchiert und übersichtlich gegliedert sowie versehen mit einer umfangreichen Quellenangabe. Im Text keinesfalls trocken, sondern von zahlreichen Beispielen aus der Geschichte und seriösen Originalzitaten aufgelockert. .
    Es empfiehlt sich allen Lesern, die ihr Verständnis für die dunkle Seite der Menschheit vertiefen möchten.
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  • Cliente de Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
    Reviewed in Spain on January 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I bought the book by an Amazon recomendation. At first with doubt. I must read it two times in order to extract most of many of his lessons. Perhaps her central idea is not very well defended but the rest of the book is very well argumented.
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  • AK
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not Ehrenreich's finest - an intriguing first part followed by a mediocre application of the theory
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2011
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    Unlike Ehrenreich's later more famous books, such as Nickel and Dimed or Bait and Switch: The Futile Pursuit of the Corporate Dream, Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War is not based on the author's own first hand experience but is exclusively based on desk research.

    The main premise - that our warlike passions stem from our ancient fear of being the prey of the larger and stronger predators that roamed the plains together with prehistoric man - is certainly intriguing. There is plenty of anecdotal support for the possibility both from ancient literature and more modern sociological writing that Ehrenreich brings to bear when developing the theme.

    It is hardly a scientific treatise, as it does not compare the theory developed to alternative ones, so one can find it intuitively appealing and like it but it will remain difficult to make an informed choice on whether the theory offers better explanatory power than alternatives, unless you are already an expert in the field. For that part alone, the book deserves 4 stars in my opinion, as it is at least interesting, and it brings some fresh perspectives (and interesting historical trivia) to bear.

    Where the book starts unravelling in my opinion is the second part, which purports to apply the prey theory to war. Anyone reasonably familiar with existing explanations of human predatory instincts as well as the difficulties most people have in killing (unless operatively conditioned to do so), will have an extremely hard time swallowing the generalizations and extremely selective view the author presents. Introducing Dawkins' 'Memetics' a handful of pages before the end also does the book no favours, as it seems more of an afterthought than a fully developed explanatory route. On top, I found the weaving in of the theory from the first part often not particularly natural - as if the author wrote two separate books and then found herself encouraged to bind the two together.

    In terms of individual motivations and blockages to war and killing, Grossman's On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society is a much better book. It provides the more in-depth and much better argued research on the topic and disproves many of the statements on the development of warfare made by Ehrenreich (with plenty of qualitative and quantitative studies explained and cited supporting the arguments). In terms of societal development and the use of warfare in this context, Diamond is in my opinion the much better guide - Guns Germs & Steel: The Fates of Human Societies or Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed both being quite insightful, and certaily better developed. For a brief but much more correct history on the use of small versus large forces, and professionals versus conscripts, the introduction to Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) is another good start.

    Overall this is the weakest of Ehrenreich's books I have read so far. She certainly invested significant effort into writing it but it falls just short of good due to the poor (and partially ideologically motivated, rather than properly analyzed) second half. If the topic is of general interest, you would do well to go through the first part of the book, in case you want to explore the theory developed further - the author's own application is in my opinion not great.

    On the other hand, do not judge the author by this book, as her later work, where she experienced the topics she wrote about first hand, is actually quite good.
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  • Generic Nomenclature
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting collection of insights on the brutality of organised humans
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2018
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    Having not read any other of the author's works I cannot place this in a wider context, I enjoyed it as it is. Ehrenreich inverts the idea of cultural expression as sublimated violence. Instead of the aggressive ape, Ehrenreich paints a portrait of humanity as prey to forces beyond its control. Our relationship with predators was ambivalent: we needed them for their scavenged kills but knew that we too were vulnerable. At some point, we learned to change this balance but maintained our obsession with The Predator. As cultures developed, the effects of this change stayed with us through ritual, religion, the birth of the nation state and the thread of conflict that runs through these markers.
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