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This clear, readable introduction to the popular field of military history is now available in a refreshed and updated second edition. It shows that military history encompasses not just accounts of campaigns and battles but includes a wide range of perspectives on all aspects of past military organization and activity. In concise chapters it explains the fundamental features of the field, including:
The history of military history, showing how it has developed from ancient times to the present; The key ideas and concepts that shape analysis of military activity; it argues that military history is as methodologically and philosophically sophisticated as any field of history; The current controversies about which military historians argue, and why they are important; A survey of who does military history, where it is taught and published, and how it is practiced; A look at where military history is headed in the future.
The new edition of What is Military History? provides an up-to-date bibliography and cutting edge new case studies, including counterinsurgency, and as such continues to be ideal for classes in military history and in historiography generally, as well as for anyone interested in learning more about the dynamics of a rich and growing area of study.
Report
"A fast-paced, authoritative introduction to what is possibly theoldest and still the most popular form of historical writing. Theinnovations of the past 50 years that reinvigorated militaryhistory and transformed it into one of the strongest sub-fields inthe historical discipline are skillfully highlighted. Snootyacademics who dismiss military history as a simple narrativeconcerning battles and generals need to read this book to discoverthe rich scholarship they have been missing. Serious militaryhistorians seeking new arguments to justify their specialty willalso benefit from this informative and witty survey."
Gregory J. W. Urwin, Temple University
"A clear and thoughtful account of military history that isparticularly valuable because of its chronological and geographicalrange. Interesting, well-written, and wide ranging, it can behighly recommended."
Jeremy Black, University of Exeter
"The thoughtful, overdue answer to a question that has neededanswering since the profound transformation of the field in theyears after Vietnam. Nowadays military history is so much more thandrums and trumpets; it is the study of societies, economies, andpolitical systems wracked by the human and material demands of war.Morillo and Pavkovic never lose sight of the centrality of battleto all of this, but lucidly fill in the strategic and socialenvironment with a cogent review of the best, most recentliterature."
Geoffrey Wawro, University of North Texas
"An indispensable aid for anyone who is interested in the study ofwarfare. World-wide in its scope, sophisticated in its analysis,and eminently readable, this remarkable work walks readers throughthe past, present, and potential future of one of the most complexfields of historical endeavor."
Andrew Wiest, University of Southern Mississippi
"Although military history is often accused of having a static andtraditionalist approach, Morillo and Pavkovic show the oppositehere. Their study of the influence of social, cultural, gender andglobal history on the field of military history enriches not onlythe content but also extends the methodological toolbox."
H-Soz-u-Kult
