''Bandits'' is a book by

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (''Th ...

, first published in 1969 by

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld ...

and re-issued in revised and expanded form in 1981 by

Pantheon Books Pantheon Books is an American book publishing imprint. Founded in 1942 as an independent publishing house in New York City by Kurt and Helen Wolff, it specialized in introducing progressive European works to American readers. In 1961, it was ...

. It focuses on the concept of bandits within the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, and literature of Europe, specifically its relation to classical Marxist concepts of

class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

Summary

Eric Hobsbawm sets out to explore and analyze the history of

banditry Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, ...

and

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

and its relationship to class structures of agrarian societies. Hobsbawm specifies a specific form of crime that fit into the category of social bandit, which represented groups of young men, landless peasants, free-men, and military

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

. Social bandits are distinguished from other forms of organized crime in how the majority peasantry perceived the bandits as rebels who opposed the unjust system of

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

. Among social bandits there are three main historical categories: that of "The Noble Robbers", "The Avengers", and the "''haiduks''". The Noble Robbers are the romanticized concept of noble criminals who fight injustice and have a large popularity with the lower classes; key figures include

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

, Diego Corrientes Mateos and Juro Janosik. The Avengers are bandits whose acts of cruelty and violence distinguish them as people both feared and respected by common people. Often they had very few redeeming qualities yet commanded respect because of their brutality.

References

External links

* https://thenewpress.com/books/bandits 1969 non-fiction books History books about Europe History books about the United Kingdom Books by Eric Hobsbawm Outlaws Non-fiction books about crime Academic works about criminology {{Europe-hist-book-stub