Best known for his classic Guns, Germs, and Steel, awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, Diamond is a professor of geography at UCLA, but he draws on myriad fields, including anthropology, economics, ecology, and evolutionary biology to propose groundbreaking arguments about human civilization. His new book looks at trauma and considers the reasons why some nations recover and others collapse. Using six case studies--the Soviet invasion of Finland, Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan, Pinochet’s Chile, Indonesia’s evolution from colonialism to independence, post-war Germany, and Australia—Diamond’s comparative study defines “crisis,” traces the process of self-appraisal and adaptation, identifies patterns, and looks at ways both nations and individuals can develop greater resilience.
The speaker was introduced by Bob Attardi, Politics and Prose's class and tour guy.
underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.
") are described as follows: