A Global History of Warfare and Technology: From Slings to Robots

This book addresses the global history of technology, warfare and state formation from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Using a combination of top-down and bottom-up methodologies, it examines both interstate and intrastate conflicts with a focus on Eurasian technology and warfare. It shows how human agency and structural factors have intertwined, creating a complex web of technology and warfare. It also explores the interplay between technological and non-technological factors to chart the evolution of warfare from its origins to the present day, arguing that the interactions between civilian and military sectors have shaped the use of technology in warfare. Given its scope and depth, it is a valuable resource for researchers in fields such as world history, history of science and technology, history of warfare and imperialism and international relations.

About the Author

Kaushik Roy is Guru Nanak Chair Professor in the Department of History at Jadavpur University, India and Global Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Norway. He has been attached to PRIO in various capacities for nearly a decade. He has previously held teaching positions at Visva Bharati University, India, and at Presidency College, India. He received his PhD from the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, and was also a Junior Fellow at the Centre for Contemporary Studies at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. He has received the Charles Wallace Fellowship and research grants from institutions including the Indian National Science Academy and the UGC. He is a member of the editorial board of Oxford Bibliographies (dealing with military history) and a member of the Indian National Science Academy’s Research Council.

Roy specializes in the military history of the modern period. He has worked extensively on bothconventional and unconventional wars during the pre-modern, early modern and present eras. He has published multiple books and chapters in edited volumes released by publishers including Routledge, Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. He has also published articles in various peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Global History , the Journal of Military Ethics , the Journal of Military History , War in History, First World War Studies , Modern Asian Studies, Economic and Political Weekly, Studies in History , and the Indian Economic and Social History Review .