Introduction to Cultural Ecology

by Sutton, Mark Q.

• ISBN13: 9780759105300
• ISBN10: 0759105308
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

This volume is geared towards students and instructors involved in cultural ecology, ecological anthropology, and/or human ecology. While covering basic concepts for beginners, this book also provides a thorough and sophisticated discussion of cultural ecology's history and theory using examples from throughout the world, both historical and contemporary.

Author Biography

E. N. Anderson is professor of anthropology at the University of California, Riverside.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix
Preface	xi
1 Introduction	1	(30)
What is Cultural Ecology?
Anthropology
The Study of Human Ecology
A History of Thought on Culture and Environment
The Rise of Human Ecology
Thus...
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
2 Fundamentals of Ecology	31	(22)
The Environment
Niche and Habitat
Resources
Energy
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
3 Human Biological Ecology	53	(32)
Humans as Animals
Biological Adaptations
Human Population Regulation
Nutrition
Evolutionary Ecology
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
4 Cultural Ecology	85	(40)
Human Capabilities
Culture as an Adaptive Mechanism
Traditional Knowledge Systems
Human Control of the Environment
Decision Making
A Concluding Thought on Management
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
5 Hunting and Gathering	125	(44)
Hunter-Gatherer Classification
The Hunter-Gatherer Stereotype
Bias in Hunter-Gatherer Studies
Population
Settlement and Subsistence
Environmental Manipulation and Resource Management
Relations with Other Groups
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Case Study: The Nuu-chah-nulth of British Columbia
Case Study: The Mbuti of the Ituri Forest
6 The Origins of Food Production	169	(18)
Agricultural Domestication
The Transition to Farming
On the Origin of Agriculture
Types of Agriculture
The Impact of Agriculture
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
7 Horticulture	187	(30)
Horticultural Techniques
Use of Wild Resources
Environmental Manipulation and Resource Management
Relations with Other Groups
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Discussion
Case Study: The Grand Valley Dani of Highland New Guinea
Case Study: The Lozi of Western Zambia
8 Pastoralism	217	(34)
General Sociopolitical Organization
Types of Pastoralism
The Geography of Pastoralism
The Origin of Pastoralism
Some Parameters of Pastoralism
Use of Nonpastoral Products
Environmental Manipulation and Resource Management
Relations with Other Groups
A Note on the Impact of Grazing
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Case Study: The Maasai of East Africa
Case Study: The Navajo of the American Southwest
9 Intensive Agriculture	251	(40)
Changes in Scale
Techniques of Intensive Agriculture
Contemporary Industrialized Agriculture
Environmental Manipulation and Resource Management
Relations with Other Groups
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Case Study: Mountains and Water-The Traditional Agricultural System along South Coastal China
Case Study: The Maya Agricultural System
10 Current Issues and Problems	291	(16)
The Tragedy of the Commons
Agricultural Involution
Agricultural Development and Intensification
The Rain Forest Dilemma
Chapter Summary
Key Terms
Glossary	307	(8)
References	315	(62)
Index	377	(8)
About the Authors	385