Learning Objectives

This chapter introduces students to the variety of economic systems that are present in human societies. It especially focuses on the distinctions between foraging, horticulture, agriculture, and pastoralism, and on models of distribution and exchange.

I.

You need to know what an adaptive strategy is. In addition you should know how Cohen uses adaptive strategies to classify different societies.

II.

You must know what foraging entails and what social and cultural traits are commonly found in foraging societies.

III.

You should know what horticulture entails and what social and cultural traits are commonly found in horticultural societies.

IV.

You should know what agriculture entails and what social and cultural traits are commonly found in agricultural societies. In particular, you must be familiar with the features of agriculture that distinguish it from horticulture.

V.

You need to be familiar with the cultivation continuum as well as the social and cultural correlates that accompany changes in intensification.

VI.

You should know what pastoralism entails and what social and cultural traits are commonly found in pastoral societies.

VII.

You need to know the difference between "modes" and "means" of production.

VIII.

You should know how industrialism leads to the alienation of the producer and the product.

IX.

You need to know how economic anthropologists study the ways in which groups manage their resources. Specifically, you need to know how economic anthropologists use maximizing and economizing models to study the different uses that various societies have for scarce resources.

X.

You should know the different forms of distribution and exchange. In particular, you should be able to distinguish between the market principle, redistribution, and the various forms of reciprocity.

XI.

You need to be familiar with the potlatch. Specifically, you need to know what it is, where it is found, how it has changed through time, and how it functions at both the local and regional levels.

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