This work investigates the viability and historical prevalence of stateless societies to determine if human social organization requires a centralized government. Harold B. Barclay, an anthropologist with extensive field experience, examines various non-state societies to challenge the assumption that government is a universal necessity for order. He utilizes ethnographic data and historical examples to argue that complex social cooperation can exist without formal state structures.

Scholars and readers often cite this text as a foundational anthropological defense of anarchist theory. It is frequently noted for its accessible prose and its ability to bridge the gap between academic anthropology and political philosophy.