From Publishers Weekly

In addressing the origins of ethnic cleansing, UCLA sociologist Mann (Fascism) locates differing stages of political participation as a major factor. He begins with stable authoritarian regimes (e.g., Tito's Yugoslavia) that exclude participation; when such regimes break down, there is a period of everybody scrambling for power and trying to exclude somebody else with the "else" usually defined on ethnic lines. Other examples include Armenia, the Holocaust and Rwanda, as well as India (the Sikhs and Muslims) and Indonesia (the Chinese). Eventually, the author's somewhat optimistic scenario argues, we arrive at stable participatory societies, with everybody somewhat included and limits set on what can be done to exclude groups (the Voting Rights Act of 1964 in the U.S.). Free from sociological jargon and abundant in historical data, this study sufficiently allows lay readers access. It can be difficult at moments to tell if Mann's prediction of the high body count in the Third World's coming century or so of ethnic cleansing is Eurocentric, callous or grimly realistic, but such moments always resolve into that last choice. Mann proposes some feasible remedies and scales of intervention.

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Review

'The Dark Side of Democracy ... is a formidable and in some ways successful attempt to produce a sociological grand theory to explain these terrible events. ... Mann's work represents contemporary historical sociology at its best - well informed, relevant, well evidenced and interesting - and all readers must have great respect for his conclusions ...' Times Higher Education Supplement 'Mann's volume provides a valuable contribution to the study of murderous ethnic cleansing. The ability to gather such a wide range of perspectives and experience makes his effort both worthwhile and timely, and it will therefore be very useful for anyone working and dealing with ethnic conflicts. An additional merit is that Mann has written this book at a level that is going to satisfy the inquisitiveness of both his peers and students, which ensures (and inspires) additional enquiries into its topic.' Southeast European Politics 'The Dark Side's theses are enormously suggestive, clearly have considerable purchase on the cases and inform rich interpretations that set new standards of analytical complexity in historical sociology.' Sociology 'This is a very important book ... Mann has provided a powerful analysis which will give much food for thought. ... This book should be read by everybody with a concern for the ethnic cleansing that now forms a staple part of our media diet.' British Society of Criminology 'Michael Mann's impressive The Dark Side of Democracy makes a giant step toward specifying the concrete social studies and circumstances that produce such results ... It is a major achievement.' New Left Review

[英]迈克尔·曼（Michael Mann） 西方影响力极高的历史社会学家。牛津大学社会学博士，美国加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校社会学教授。曾执教于伦敦经济学院（LSE）、艾塞克斯大学和剑桥大学等。

曼的的写作方式属于“终生写作”，著述不多却极为深刻，致力于探索人类社会权力的本质，近年来从对历史框架下的一般权力分析转向了对我们当代生活中的最阴暗角落的研究：人类中的大恶与现代性—民主的关系。

主要著作有《社会权力的来源》（四卷，已完成两卷）、《不连贯的帝国》、《法西斯主义者》等。其中，长达数年跨度完成的《社会权力的来源》（第一、二卷）获“全美社会学联合会”杰出学术著作奖，是社会学领域的权威著作，在西方思想界赢得了与马克斯·韦伯等量齐观的赞誉，曼本人也被视为韦伯之后最伟大的社会学家。而作为社会思想的里程碑，他的著作“表现出惊人的广博、罕见的深刻和雄辩的理论”。