Unconventional Warfare from Antiquity to the Present Day

The contemporary issue of terrorism - not to mention the rebellions and insurrections ongoing around the globe - is one of the signature problems of the modern world. This proposed collection of essays will be the first to address these issues conceptually in a range of historical periods and places, from a variety of analytic perspectives. The advantage of this approach is that it affords an opportunity to gain a more complete understanding of the dynamics of such conflicts and to establish the current and historical parameters of these hybrid forms of war. While modern political discourse shifts easily between sets of valorising and delegitimising discourses in relation to non-conventional conflicts and combatants, using loaded terminology like 'terrorist' or 'freedom fighter', the individuals who are thus described all engage in unconventional warfare. This has often been characterised as small war, in distinction to 'big' war or conflicts between regular armies. This type of conflict, whether pitting paramilitary or guerrilla groups against each other or against conventional forces, is almost certainly the original form of warfare and it has throughout history continued to play a hugely important, if frequently underestimated or ignored, role in the conflicts which shaped the world.