Demographicsthreadi

[BeBMan]

Not about demographics as such, but is anyone here into those demographic explanations for large scale violence and often military expansion? Like that in societies which have large parts of - primarily male - youths on the one hand and not much chances to improve in social status for the mass of those on the other large parts of these guys will resort to any available method to get into a better position. Could be migration, but usually also crime, terrorism or generally increasing support for aggressive/expansive politics or ideologies.

Now the thing is that some explain stuff like crusades or today islamist extremism primarily as expressions of such demographically "hot" societies, so they see the actual...hmm...manifestation of say terrorism or religious fundyness just as a kind of vehicle while the core of the prob is the demographic situation (so things we usually get as reasons like ideology, imperialism/nationalism, religion or so are just the consequence of it).

Discuss... or not

[Ecthy]

"those explanations"? Would you care to come up with some examples, sources etc? Or did you just make up that "theory"?

[LordShiva]

Bare branch theory

[LordShiva]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E6DA1E38F930A35754C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Ecthy
"those explanations"? Would you care to come up with some examples, sources etc? Or did you just make up that "theory"?

Nah....it's mainly about a guy called Gunnar Heinsohn. Sloterdijk likes esp. his work on the demographic problem of so-called youth bulges (what I posted above with too much young guys in certain societies etc). But overall the ...uhm... intellectual establishment here seems to be pretty much split about his stuff, some say it's great, others call it bull. He's into some other stuff that is rather rejected by mainstream history, but the demographics thing surfaces from time to time elsewhere too (for example if you know Münkler's works on 'new' wars, concentrating on conflicts esp. in recent times that don't fit in as classic state/state wars)

I thought we have someone here who knows about this stuff and could maybe recommend (non-Kraut) books on this. Or tell if the approach is great or not

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by LordShiva
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...pagewanted=all

Thx - reading now.

[Ecthy]

You're a name-dropper. I don't care what pop TV philosophers think of theories. Münkler rules tho.

[BeBMan]

Münkler

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by LordShiva
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...pagewanted=all

China vs. India

The two countries can agree on periodic wars to burn off their excess male population.

[Dry]

Interesting reading.
That could explain the success of the 72 virgins marketing campaign.

[Seedle]

Originally posted by Dry
Interesting reading.
That could explain the success of the 72 virgins marketing campaign.

I'm pretty sure the 72 virgins marketing campaign would work amongst a population with a 1:71 male:female ratio. It is interesting reading, though.