Outlaw Bikers and Ancient Warbands

This book is the first to compare the shared cultural tenets of ancient warbands and outlaw biker gangs. It argues that the values of hyper-masculinity can be traced from the former into the contemporary environment of the latter: codes of honour, loyalty and bravery have prioritised small groups of males over women and other men, creating a history of hyper-masculinity that shows little sign of stopping. Indeed, Outlaw Bikers and Ancient Warbands: Hyper-Masculinity and Cultural Continuity argues that such hyper-masculine culture can be found in many male groups such as the police, military and sports, and that if we want to understand hyper-masculinity and face it as a society then we need to recognize that outlaw bikers are a reflection of behavior that has a very long tradition. This pioneering work explores these issues from ancient times and into the future.

Carl Bradley is a historical criminologist who researches outlaw bikers and patched street gangs. He also studies indigenous response to colonization and warfare. Carl has published on outlaw bikers and on both Maori and Celtic response to Imperialism. He has lectured at Massey University, New Zealand, Australian College of Applied Psychology, Australia, and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.