Studying Societies and Cultures: Marvin Harris's Cultural Materialism and its Legacy

by Lawrence 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.

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jason Barnhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I'm biased. I know, have met or studied under most of the authors.

A must read for anyone trying to understand the big dea about Marvin Harris.