The camp as instrument of power

Abstract

The camp as a temporary enclosure housing people within it, may well trace its roots to the first human nomadic societies. In a nomadic lifestyle the camp represents a place of rest and a temporary repreave from a long road through a widely open world. It is thus only in sedentary societies that the camp took on a more sinister nature. Prior to the establishment of towns and cities, the nomad's camp offered hospitality and safety. But following the rise of permanent settlements, which led to the establishment of large scale warfare, the camp became an instrument of tyranny and aggression. [excerpt]