Inventing Western Civilization

What is civilization? The term, commonly identified with uplift and order, has come to take on another meaning: the civilized versus the primitive. This book is about the idea of civilization and how, at different times, the concept has been used by the powerful in order to defend their status. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of early societies, anthropologist Thomas C. Patterson shows how class, sexism, and racism have been integral to the appearance of civilized societies in Western Europe.