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'A new book by Fred Harrison The Predator Culture is another one of his to be read and re-read... A revealing book for anyone owning or trading property, in land development or associated occupations such as banking - anywhere in the world.' --John Kay Financial Times
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Understanding the territorial basis of political power and wealth is the pre-requisite, the author argues, for making sense of issues as diverse as genocide, narco-gangsterism, terrorism and fascism. Fred Harrison draws on global-wide case studies to show how the violent birth of nation-states, whether the result of territorial conquests or colonialism, splits the population into two classes, victors and vanquished. This division is perpetuated and legitimated through the system of land tenure. The pathological consequences - as diverse as failed states, organised crime (mafia), religious fundamentalism and the re-emergence of piracy - are the result of the violent uprooting of the original inhabitants from their homelands. The struggle over land and resources, Harrison contends, is at the root of all of today's global crises. Some attempts are being made to restore land to those in need, ranging from the offer of land in Afghanistan to the Taliban as an inducement to set aside their violent strategies, to the sharing of the rents of oil in Nigeria to entice eco-warriors into mainstream politics. But these piecemeal tactics fail to synthesise the conditions for peace and prosperity. "The Predator Culture" provides a framework for truth and reconciliation in what has become a violent world that is slipping dangerously out of control.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Predator Culture by Fred Harrison
The endurance of poverty has its root in unfair land tenure. Fred Harrison calls this `The Culture of Pauperisation' demonstrating that power hierarchies are arranged in the interest of land appropriators. He borrows medical terminology, observing the state of dis-ease in societies as akin to a body suffering trauma. The world explorer/exploiters of the last 200-300 years described the civilizations they met as `primitive' rather than `normal'. Harrison claims that those societies had social systems which `were sophisticated mechanisms for integrating humans into their homelands'. He sees much of the violence in the world now as a legacy of the way these homelands were manipulated from then on. Incomers, through physical violence, by psychological means or by imposed law, subjugated the people, appropriated their land and its wealth, and wrecked the cultural and social fabric.
However Costa Rica, as seen by measures of: wealth (GDP); income distribution; wages and health outcomes has, over the past 50 years, been steadily outstripping neighbouring countries. It has no source of oil or valuable minerals as an obvious reason for this, but Harrison points to the availability of land and the way land taxation was adopted early on to pay for the public resources. These `enshrined the spirit of enterprise and liberty'.
Rwanda and Zimbabwe were more typical. Genocide in Rwanda on the scale of the Belgian colonial adventure in 1885 was a new phenomenon to Africa. Whilst reviewing the book, I noted current newspaper accounts of modern day Rwanda, none of which referred back more than 20 years. However there is a scheme in operation (reported in the Financial Times 22 Oct 2009) where 7.9 m plots of land are being surveyed prior to confirming ownership. But will this resolve cases where land was misappropriated some generations back? Harrison advocates that Truth & Reconciliation Commissions need to take a longer colonial-historic view. Maybe then there is hope that many running sores of injustice worldwide - potential causes of violence - might be resolved. He sees the US's $7.5bn aid for roads, etc, for Pakistan, as likely to be counter-productive to peace. It is likely to exacerbate the conflict between that country's own `predators' and `producers' and drive the poor further into extremism.
Sadness and frustration is induced by The Predator Culture. Which nations have seen the land tenure issue as the fundamental way of countering the culture of pauperisation? Unless we understand and act on Harrison's diagnosis, the perpetuation of disadvantaged generations will continue the dis-ease of injustice and unfairness, however `civilised' we think a culture is. This is a very important book. An excellent index, (but see the unindexed pages vii, 11 and 53 for banking/credit references for what was behind the land purchasing). Read The Predator Culture and gain insight for solutions to troubles in distant lands, as well as in your own. Let us hope Heads of State, Finance Ministers and Foreign Secretaries everywhere are told about this book.
The reviewer has no financial interest in the sales of this book. A copy was provided for review.
The endurance of poverty has its root in unfair land tenure. Fred Harrison calls this `The Culture of Pauperisation' demonstrating that power hierarchies are arranged in the interest of land appropriators. He borrows medical terminology, observing the state of dis-ease in societies as akin to a body suffering trauma. The world explorer/exploiters of the last 200-300 years described the civilizations they met as `primitive' rather than `normal'. Harrison claims that those societies had social systems which `were sophisticated mechanisms for integrating humans into their homelands'. He sees much of the violence in the world now as a legacy of the way these homelands were manipulated from then on. Incomers, through physical violence, by psychological means or by imposed law, subjugated the people, appropriated their land and its wealth, and wrecked the cultural and social fabric.
However Costa Rica, as seen by measures of: wealth (GDP); income distribution; wages and health outcomes has, over the past 50 years, been steadily outstripping neighbouring countries. It has no source of oil or valuable minerals as an obvious reason for this, but Harrison points to the availability of land and the way land taxation was adopted early on to pay for the public resources. These `enshrined the spirit of enterprise and liberty'.
Rwanda and Zimbabwe were more typical. Genocide in Rwanda on the scale of the Belgian colonial adventure in 1885 was a new phenomenon to Africa. Whilst reviewing the book, I noted current newspaper accounts of modern day Rwanda, none of which referred back more than 20 years. However there is a scheme in operation (reported in the Financial Times 22 Oct 2009) where 7.9 m plots of land are being surveyed prior to confirming ownership. But will this resolve cases where land was misappropriated some generations back? Harrison advocates that Truth & Reconciliation Commissions need to take a longer colonial-historic view. Maybe then there is hope that many running sores of injustice worldwide - potential causes of violence - might be resolved. He sees the US's $7.5bn aid for roads, etc, for Pakistan, as likely to be counter-productive to peace. It is likely to exacerbate the conflict between that country's own `predators' and `producers' and drive the poor further into extremism.
Sadness and frustration is induced by The Predator Culture. Which nations have seen the land tenure issue as the fundamental way of countering the culture of pauperisation? Unless we understand and act on Harrison's diagnosis, the perpetuation of disadvantaged generations will continue the dis-ease of injustice and unfairness, however `civilised' we think a culture is. This is a very important book. An excellent index, (but see the unindexed pages vii, 11 and 53 for banking/credit references for what was behind the land purchasing). Read The Predator Culture and gain insight for solutions to troubles in distant lands, as well as in your own. Let us hope Heads of State, Finance Ministers and Foreign Secretaries everywhere are told about this book.
The reviewer has no financial interest in the sales of this book. A copy was provided for review.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
Ignore at our peril
30 Aug 2011
Format:Paperback
If we want to get out of the economic malaise we are in, we need to understand the two components that make up all the physical wealth that we as humans have. The first is the collection of natural opportunities that is a gift of God/Nature, such as land, clean air, clean water, and radio spectrum. The second component is the human effort or work that we as humans exert on that first component, and extend the usefulness to ourselves and to other humans. Fred Harrison shows that the incentives and rules our governments provide need to make sure that the first, land, is not monopolized and that the second, work, is not penalized.
Unfortunately, as he shows, there are interests in not reducing monopolies. There are those who benefit from them. The worse part is that we can be co-opted into believing that we are benefiting from sharing in monopolies, and that this predator culture is a shameful part of our national culture, which we inherited from the Europeans who invaded this continent.
The hopeful news is that there is a remedy, which the author lays out, and has been partially used in various cities and countries, with positive results proportional to the degree that is has been used.
The message of this book needs to be understood quickly, before our unemployment and underemployment increase and the frustrations of those suffering from their effects explode. We need to let the more noble parts of our national (and biblical) culture dominate and rise to the occasion.
Unfortunately, as he shows, there are interests in not reducing monopolies. There are those who benefit from them. The worse part is that we can be co-opted into believing that we are benefiting from sharing in monopolies, and that this predator culture is a shameful part of our national culture, which we inherited from the Europeans who invaded this continent.
The hopeful news is that there is a remedy, which the author lays out, and has been partially used in various cities and countries, with positive results proportional to the degree that is has been used.
The message of this book needs to be understood quickly, before our unemployment and underemployment increase and the frustrations of those suffering from their effects explode. We need to let the more noble parts of our national (and biblical) culture dominate and rise to the occasion.
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