Marvin Harris Biography

Marvin Harris was an American anthropologist who profoundly influenced the development of cultural materialism. His work synthesized Marx's emphasis on the forces of production with Malthusian insights on demographic factors, which he posited as crucial in determining a society's social structure and culture. Harris shifted his focus from ideological aspects of culture to behavioral ones, striving for a nomothetic, scientific understanding of human culture. His approach, drawing upon and refining Marxist concepts, also incorporated demographic dynamics as determinants of sociocultural evolution.