Studying Societies and Cultures: Marvin Harris's Cultural Materialism and Its LegacyLawrence A. Kuznar, Stephen K. Sanderson "A thought-provoking, stimulating volume on the past, present and future of cultural materialism that is both laudatory of Harris' research strategy and critical of it." Paul Shankman, University of Colorado One of the most important anthropologists of all time, Marvin Harris was influential worldwide as the founder of cultural materialism. This book accessibly analyzes Harris's theories and their important legacies today. The chapters explore cultural materialism's epistemology and its relation to rational choice theory, Darwinian social science, and population pressures. The authors assess recent attempts to extend and reformulate cultural materialism and highlight cross-cultural, archaeological, and ethnographic applications of cultural materialism today. |
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Page 58
... causal forces , because " everything that has causal powers owes those powers exclusively to its physical properties " ( Sperber , 1996 : 10 ) . Problem 3 : Cultural materialism's causal principle ( i.e. , infrastructural determinism ) ...
... causal forces , because " everything that has causal powers owes those powers exclusively to its physical properties " ( Sperber , 1996 : 10 ) . Problem 3 : Cultural materialism's causal principle ( i.e. , infrastructural determinism ) ...
Page 218
... causal impact on the patterns of social life . 4. The components of societies are related as they are because such causal dynam- ics flow from the deep wellsprings of human action . The biostructure and the ecostructure have a logical ...
... causal impact on the patterns of social life . 4. The components of societies are related as they are because such causal dynam- ics flow from the deep wellsprings of human action . The biostructure and the ecostructure have a logical ...
Page 248
... causal factors in producing and maintaining this system . However , his decision to combine infrastructural and structural elements of the economy at times makes his arguments sound like he is crediting essential characteristics of ...
... causal factors in producing and maintaining this system . However , his decision to combine infrastructural and structural elements of the economy at times makes his arguments sound like he is crediting essential characteristics of ...
Contents
A Bibliometric Analysis | 20 |
The Theoretical Legacies of Cultural Materialism | 56 |
Cultural Materialism Rational Choice and the Problem | 78 |
Copyright | |
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American analysis anthropology approach argues argument authors behavior believe biological called capitalism causal causes century Chapter chiefdoms chiefs Citation cited communities complex critical cultural materialism cultural materialist Current Darwinian determinism developed distinction ecology economic effects Ember empirical environment evidence evolution evolutionary example existence explain fact factors Figure forces groups Harris's History human ideas important increase individuals infrastructural interest islands Journal knowledge languages linguistic major male Marvin Harris Marxism materialist means nature noted organization origins particular patterns period perspective political population present Press pressure principles problem production rational reference reproductive result Review Sanderson scientific seems selection significant similar social societies sociocultural status structure subjects success suggest theoretical theory understanding University variables warfare wealth writing York