Subsistence, Economics and Political Anthropology

1. Food and Economics 1 Subsistence, Economics and Political Anthropology Cultural Ecology and Culture Area Types of Subsistence Foraging, Horticulture, Pastoralism, Intensive Agriculture, Industrialism Economic Anthropology Reciprocity, Redistribution and Market Economy Political Anthropology Centralized and Non-Centralized Societies Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, States Nations Conflict Resolution

2. Culture and the Ecosystem Humans adapt to their environment � together, they and their environment are an ecosystem. The foods a culture subsists on are tied to its ecosystem.

3. Your environment directly influences your culture (cultural ecology). Ex: the Hopi (who farm) and the Navajo (who herd) live in the same environment. Ex: the Cheyenne went from farming to foraging. Cultural Ecology (Julian Steward)

4. Culture Areas When cultures in one region share similar cultural patterns, the region is a culture area. Societies in a culture area share cultural similarities. Ex.: Native American culture areas

5. Ex.: Indigenous World Culture Areas

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7. Types of Subsistence:Foraging AKA, hunting and gathering Today, only 250,000 people are foragers (.00005% of the world�s population). They now live in marginal areas Many more no longer forage. Ex.: California Indians (casinos)

8. Locations of Modern Day Foraging Peoples (Kelly 1995)

9. Forager Characteristics Live in small, nomadic bands or tribes. No farming / livestock, but there is a well-balanced diet. Some had enough food around them they became sedentary. Northwest Coast Indians Chumash & California Indians Khoisan (!Kung) Complex hunter-gatherers

10. Ex.: Australian Aborigines before and after Westernization

11. Types of Subsistence:Horticulture Domestication of crops with hands and hand-held tools only. Extensive agriculture, slash and burn agriculture. Also led to sedentism Ex.: Tsembaga (PNG) Subsistence, prestige crops (esp. yams) & coffee (cash crop), raise pigs.

12. Types of Subsistence:Pastoralism Raising of livestock / cattle. Nomadic pastoralists do little or no horticulture. Wealth measured in cattle. Exs.: Wodaabe (Niger and Nigeria; oxen) Maasai (Kenya and Tanzania; cattle) Bakhtiari (Iran; goats & sheep) Saami (Scandinavia; reindeer) Navajo (Southwest US; sheep)

13. Types of Subsistence:Intensive Agriculture Intense production of foods with more than just manual labor. Uses irrigation, plows, draft animals, fertilizer Creates surpluses Arose with first cities (Ex.: �atal H�y�k).

14. Types of Subsistence:Industrialism Uses heavy industry and machines as major part of subsistence. Has only existed for a few centuries Much of the world uses industrialization today Postindustrial society? Computers, bioeconomics

15. Economic Anthropology Anthropological study of economic systems. Three main systems of distribution and exchange: Reciprocity Redistribution Market Economy

16. Systems of Distribution and Exchange

17. Reciprocity (Marcel Mauss) Exchange of goods, services of about the same value, between two or more parties Includes gift-giving (gifting), which always has some string attached - even �warm, fuzzy feeling�

18. Reciprocity:Generalized Reciprocity Value of the gift is not calculated, repayment time not specified. Ex.: Parents providing for children Kids expected to care for parents in the future, love them, give grandkids, etc.

19. Reciprocity:Balanced Reciprocity Must return goods of nearly equal value in a certain amount of time Exs.: trading of baseball cards holding of dinner parties buying a round of drinks

20. Reciprocity:Negative Reciprocity One party tries to gain material advantage over another (�better of the bargain�). Unfriendly, impersonal transaction. Exs.: Bartering Gambling Stealing Cheating Selling used cars

21. Redistribution Flow of goods into a central place to be redistributed (usually equally). Exs.: pure communism (commune, monastery, early Christianity) government programs, services NWC Indian potlatch PNG moka Maya cargo cult

22. Buying and selling of goods and services Prices set by supply and demand Usually happens at specific times and places Money exchanged instead of goods Market Exchange

23. Market Economy: Formal and Informal Sectors That which is counted in the GNP (gross national product)is the formal sector. In much of Third World, formal sector accounts for less than half of the economy. Economic activities that aren�t counted in the GNP are in the informal sector: Exs.: prostitution flea markets drug trade bake sales Illegal immigrant labor

24. Political Anthropology:Centralized and Non-Centralized Societies

25. Non-Centralized Societies:The Band Nomadic group of related households occupying one region (about 50 to 500 people) Gather on ad hoc basis to hunt and gather Reciprocity-based economics No permanent leader Least complex form of political organization

26. The Band: Examples The Paiute (US) Men and women together hunt small game, gather Men sometimes hunt big game Men and women serve as ad hoc leaders, shamans

27. Non-Centralized Societies:The Tribe Group of independent communities occupying one region (about 200 � 2,000 people) United by common language, culture, kin ties Sometimes nomadic, sometimes sedentary, light farmers / herders Leader (big man) holds prestige, not authority Elders hold the true authority.

28. The Nuer (Sudan) Pastoralist culture Political authority maintained by segmentary lineages. Each lineage is equal to all others Authority often based on age

29. Centralized Societies:The Chiefdom Regional polity with two or more groups organized under one chief (ascribed rule) (several 1000�s) Wealthy chief / king heads a ranked hierarchy Increase in population, complex tech, jobs, instability May be basis of �civilization� Often unstable

30. Hawaii Medieval Europe / Africa / Japan Eastern Woodlands cultures (N. America) Hopewell / Mississippian societies Chesapeake-area chiefdoms Southeast Asia (Angkor Wat) Historical Examples

31. Modern Example: the Kpelle (Liberia) Series of chiefs, each ruling over several subchiefs Chiefs hear & settle local disputes, distribute medicines Salaried by Liberian gov�t, given other perks Kpelle wealth measured in wives, embroidered gowns, freedom from labor

32. Strong, centralized political system with clear, strong leader (10,000�s +) Claims authority to maintain social order by force Most centralized, unstable political system Clear borders, hierarchy, jobs Exs.: any ancient empire, any modern country Centralized Societies:The State

33. Ancient Ex.: Sumer (Mesopotamia) World�s first civilization was highly stratified state with: large public works strict legal code (Code of Hammurabi) State religion world�s first writing

34. A Typical Hierarchy in a State Society: the Maya (Mesoamerica)

35. Modern Example: USA � States and Reservations

36. What Is a Nation? Communities united as "one people" through common factors: ancestry, history, society, institutions, ideology, language, territory, religion. All bands, tribes, chiefdoms and states are nations Today there are over 200 nation-states, encompassing over 5,000 nations (ethnic groups, autonomous peoples, tribes, etc.)

37. Example: Map of the �Nations� of Europe

38. Peaceful Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution in small societies is often peaceful. Avoidance Community action Negotiation / mediation Ritual reconciliation / oaths Larger societies have more codified ways to handle conflict.

39. Violent Conflict Resolution Violence is sometimes used when peaceful resolution is not possible. More violent societies tend to have warlike sports, violent games malevolent magic more crime, more severe punishment for crimes feuding, family violence

40. Some try to end violence through peaceful means.