TOP BOOKS TO READ IF YOU WANT TO STUDY
HUMAN, SOCIAL, POLITICAL SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY www.immerse.education
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If you are interested in studying any human, social or political sciences at university then you will have already grasped that there is a lot of reading involved.
With so much literature to choose from, which reading should a prospective student prioritise? Immerse Education is here to help. We spoke with our mentor team who are currently studying HSPS at top universities to ask them which books they think a young student should read before applying.
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Table of Content The list below is some of the titles they recommended in no particular order. The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes ������������������������������� 4 World Order by Henry Kissinger ����������������������������������� 5 The Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama ������ 6 Politics: Ideas in Profile by David Runciman ����������������� 7 On Violence by Hannah Arendt ������������������������������������ 8 Utopia by Thomas More ���������������������������������������������� 9 Small Places, Large Issues by Thomas Eriksen ���������� 10 Exploring Gender through Archaeology ���������������� 11 by Cheryl Claassen
Gender and Sexuality Reader by Roger Lancaster ����� 12 The Gift by Marcel Mauss ������������������������������������������ 13 Revolution by Michael Kimmel ������������������������������������ 14 1984 by George Orwell ���������������������������������������������� 15
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The Leviathan by THOMAS HOBBES
Hobbes’ 'Leviathan' is foundational to understanding the modern state, in spite of its being written over 350 years ago.
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obbes, famously born “twinned with fear”, believed that human action is determined by self-interest and selfishness. The most important rule for humans (the first law of nature) is to avoid violent conflict and seek peace, in order to ensure self-preservation. The fact that peace will look different for everyone means that the only thing we can, and must, agree on is to allow one person or institution to determine what this peace looks like for us- a sovereign or government. This sovereign is our representative, that is, someone who speaks for all of us and to whom we all submit and obey. It is only through this sovereign that we are joined together as a multitude, allowing us to escape the natural condition of war and as a consequence live longer, less violent, happier lives. Although initially a challenging read, ‘Leviathan’ is a text that remains ever relevant to the world we live in. Hobbes’ ideas are relatively simple but bring into perspective the contrast between individualism and giving up liberty for the advancement of society. It also raises a number of interesting other questions such as the use of force and is a basis for some nationalistic ideas.
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World Order by HENRY KISSINGER
Henry Kissinger was an American diplomat and a practising statesman under Presidents Nixon and Ford.
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issinger also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. His book gives an insight into the workings of international politics, whilst at the same time exposing the inner logic of the realist school of thought within international relations. Kissinger starts off questioning what the world order is, and, with a critique of the Westphalian system, he argues that whilst we take the Westphalian system as synonymous with the notion of a world order - a universal and moral absolute, it is actually only an arbitrary creation of historical contingencies. Undermining the notion of what we take as universal allows him to look into how to create an alternative world order, which he does by detailed, historical micro-analysis of different regions, to reach conclusions about what an alternative world order could look like. Many argue that his writings have been the basis of the research and the study of international relations over the last twenty years and, though everyone may not agree with his conclusions, his explanations provide an immense insight into the hierarchy of which we are now a part. He also provides a trans-historical view of history and usefully shows why some countries act the way they do today. Again, Kissinger’s writings would get a prospective candidate thinking in a certain way and it can be immensely useful in the run-up to university applications.
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The Origins of Political Order: from Prehuman Times to the French Revolution by FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
‘The Origins of Political Order’ is a book in which Fukuyama relies on comparative political history to develop a theory of a stable political system.
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ukuyama ties together various strands of political thought at different points in the text in a style which is engaging and easy to follow. In comparison to Hobbes’ ‘Leviathan’ this is much easier to read, but just as thought provoking, and caters to those who are interested in reading the whole book, as well as those who are particularly interested in particular places and ideas. For example France during the French Revolution, or China two thousand years ago as the first modern state developed here.
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Politics: Ideas in Profile by DAVID RUNCIMAN
David Runciman’s book is a clear, concise and captivating introduction into political theory.
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n ‘Politics’, Runciman discusses the thinkers and concepts included in the first year of a politics degree, for example Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Weber. It is worth choosing a chapter or several chapters from Runciman’s book and indulging into the discussion of thinkers that particularly interest you. The book is easily accessible, with great graphics and graphs meaning it can be picked up even by those students who have not covered these topics previously. David Runciman is a first year lecturer at Cambridge and so his style gives an insight into what studying politics at Cambridge is like, however, it is helpful for students applying for politics at any university. Runciman’s explanations and elaboration of theories and concepts are dense yet entirely accessible. His use of analogies to modern-day events and affairs allows for a greater depth of understanding of political theories and figures in a way that is ideal for a higher school student reader.
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On Violence by HANNAH ARENDT
Hannah Arendt’s ‘On Violence’ presents an analysis of the nature, causes, and significance of violence in the second half of the twentieth century.
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his title also re-examines the relationship between war, politics, violence, and power. Arendt’s idea about the distinction between power and violence is an important tool for thinking about how violence and the monopoly of the state over the means of force is often conflated with political legitimacy. Arendt’s work is particularly relevant following the well-publicised police brutality and the Black Lives Matter Campaign in the US, as violence towards the people becomes the way in which political legitimacy is destroyed, rather than reinforced. Her argument that technological innovations have led to a ‘reversal of the relationship between power and violence’ offers an insight into the hold which terrorist groups like ISIS hold on the political imagination. It is also refreshing to read a political text from a female author.
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Utopia by SIR THOMAS MORE
Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’ is one of the most influential books in western literature.
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ithin ‘Utopia’ an idealized island community is described, in which perfect social harmony has been achieved. On this island all property is community owned, violence is nonexistent and everyone has the opportunity to work and live in an environment of religious tolerance. Many social movements throughout history have drawn upon More’s work for inspiration. While possibly unachievable Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’ gives a vision of what could be. Not only is ‘Utopia’ a delightful read, it also raises questions about the nature of politics which continue to be pressing in the modern day. More explores the difficulties which face a politician or an advisor once they embroil themselves in the murky arena of politics and risk being morally corrupted themselves or exploited by others who are corrupt. The question of whether intelligent people are morally obliged to contribute towards the public sphere, or whether they are better served by concerning themselves with their private interests, is surprisingly relevant to undergraduates deciding what they want to do after university. Further, the idea of a ‘utopia’ has informed political thinkers, including Marx, since, and is therefore important reading for understanding politics as part of a trajectory towards an ideal system.
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Small Places, Large Issues by THOMAS ERIKSEN
‘Small Places, Large Issues’ has often been described as the ‘holy book’ for social anthropology.
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riksen introduces anthropological fields of research in a way which incorporates ethnographic studies, theory and key concepts. This concise introduction to social and cultural anthropology has become a modern classic, revealing the rich global variation in social life and culture. The text provides a clear overview of anthropology, focusing on central topics such as kinship, ethnicity, ritual and political systems, offering a wealth of examples that demonstrate the enormous scope of anthropology and the importance of a comparative perspective. Unlike other texts on the subject, ‘Small Places, Large Issues’ incorporates the anthropology of complex modern societies. Using reviews of key monographs to illustrate his argument, Eriksen’s lucid and accessible text remains an established introductory text in anthropology.
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Exploring Gender through Archaeology by CHERYL CLAASSEN
Gender is a key theme in sociology and anthropology, where the aim is often to debunk common misconceptions about gender’s nature and function in society.
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rchaeology is not a field where gender typically springs to mind as a subject of analysis, but it has actually been a core assumption of the discipline that we could apply modern-day, Western gender norms onto past societies. Claassen’s book questions this assumption, showing that we have centred the discipline around masculine norms, and that funding and research time have been devoted to ‘male activities’ such as animal butchery and weapon production - which may not have been primarily male domains at all. Her gathered papers challenge the Indiana Jones’ ‘cowboy of science’ perception of archaeology.
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The Gender and Sexuality Reader by ROGER LANCASTER
One of the best overviews of the field of gender and sexuality studies, which have wide-ranging applications.
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he Gender/Sexuality Reader’ is a sophisticated survey which contextualizes gender and sexuality in a matrix of varied racial formations, nationalisms, colonialisms, imperialisms and movements for social change.
One of the best overviews of the field of gender and sexuality studies, which have wide-ranging applications. It pays close attention to the cultural and racial elements of gender, the function of gender in different countries and times, historical feminist theory and queer theory. It gathers together articles by the best-regarded scholars in gender theory, and although it’s a large book, you can dip in and out of it, selecting articles which make you curious. Guaranteed to change the way that you think about gender.
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The Gift by MARCEL MAUSS
The Gift is at the core of social theories of reciprocity and gift exchange and is a book that all prospective social anthropology students should read.
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t is a short book by French sociologist Marcel Mauss which looks at the social process which lays behind gift-giving in archaic societies. Throughout the book, Mauss argues that early exchange systems centre around the obligations to give, receive and reciprocate. He draws upon other ethnographies to back up his argument, focusing mainly on social groups belonging to the Pacific Northwest, Polynesia and Melanesia. This is a must read for all prospective students due to the importance of the book both upon its release and in the 21st century. It not only inspires the student but also relays critical arguments in an understandable way.
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Revolution by MICHAEL KIMMEL
Throughout time, ideology has underpinned political phenomena, whilst further providing a lens into the everyday organisation of society.
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hroughout time, ideology has underpinned political phenomena, whilst further providing a lens into the everyday organisation of society. Most strongly, however, ideology has become the driving force for the extreme cases of collective action we witness today: the Arab Spring revolution or the recent populist revolutions witnessed in Britain’s call for Brexit and Trump US presidential victory. Revolutions, therefore, make a moral claim on our sensibilities; we commit to a political position and thus Kimmel’s book provides an excellent introductory exploration into not only classical sociological perspectives of revolution, but also key socio-political thinkers. This includes Karl Marx’s renowned underlying assumption that society is held together by a dynamic tension between forces of production and the relations of production, a tenuous relationship that will inevitably lead to a proletariat revolution and the fall of capitalism. The interdisciplinary nature of the book, for example drawing on sociology to help explain historical changes in ideology and current global affairs, makes it a fitting read for anyone passionate about the social and political world.
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1984 by GEORGE ORWELL
Not only as a classic piece of literature and a thrilling political novel, ‘1984’ is thoughtprovoking, riveting and ahead of its time.
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oday, 1984’s Orwellian state has become synonymous for totalitarianism, mass surveillance and the corrupt nature of mass media to manipulate public opinion. Its harrowing depiction of a totalitarian, despotic state set in an all too real dystopian world that could so readily be applied across history and even today’s modern context, makes it an essential read for any politics student. ‘1984’ issues the human race an alarming warning of the dangers of empowering the state; the state being famously defined as the body monopolising the legitimate use of physical force by Max Weber. Its enduring nature, having stood against the test of time in the realm of politics, is testament to how powerful Orwell’s novel is as a piece of social-political literature.
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