"In an elegantly argued analysis, Thomas Scheff has illuminated the causes of war in the light of family and small-group behavior. This is masterful historical sociology, which undercuts the reason of state and the logic of nationalism that have sustained so many of the atrocities of our century. By examining how the simplest quarrels work, Scheff shows us how to begin to solve the seemingly intractable causes of violence in our time." —Edward Muir, History, Northwestern University