Death, Sex, and Fertility. Population Regulation in Preindustrial and Developing Societies
- 236 pages
- 9 hours of reading
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.







Uses a case study approach to make a comparative analysis of a series of specific minority groups, in terms of their historical backgrounds, to study their degree of integration into their new society.
Los enigmas de la cultura
El propósito de esta original y sorprendente obra de Marvin Harris es dar respuesta a una serie de curiosos enigmas: ¿Por qué un tabú religioso prohíbe a judíos y musulmanes comer carne de cerdo? ¿Cuál es el motivo de que los hindúes adoren a las vacas? ¿Por qué surgen los movimientos mesiánicos? ¿Cómo interpretar el machismo o la belicosidad de ciertas culturas? La estrategia del investigador consiste, en este caso, en descubrir las causas materiales que se ocultan tras la aparente irracionalidad de los estilos de vida de las diversas formaciones culturales.
In this book, Marvin Harris presents his current views on the nature of culture addressing such issues as the mental/behavioral debate, emics and etics, and anthropological holism.
Die (Kultur- )Geschichte der Welt - faktenreich, interdisziplinär, knapp und mitunter provozierend gedeutet und zu einem einheitlichen Ganzen zusammengefasst aus anthropologischer Sicht.
One of America's leading anthropolgists offers solutions to the perplexing question of why people behave the way they do. Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refuse to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches? Marvin Harris answers these and other perplexing questions about human behavior, showing that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from identifiable and intelligble sources.
Die Vielfalt menschlicher Ernährungsgewohnheiten zählt zu den aufregendsten und populärsten Phänomenen der Kulturen, denn jeder einzelne Mensch steht drei- bis fünfmal täglich vor der Frage, was er essen soll. In seinem kurzweiligen Buch zeigt uns der weltbekannte Anthropologe Marvin Harris, dass sich die Vielfalt menschlicher Essgewohnheiten auf dem Boden nackter Tatsachen ganz einfach erklären lässt.
Examines the changes taking place in modern America, and discusses shoddy workmanship, poor service, inflation, crime, and religious cults.
An Introduction to General Anthropology
Written by a foremost spokesperson on cultural materialism, this book introduces students to the four fields of anthropology making all aspects of archaeology, linguistics, physical anthropology and cultural anthropology accessible and relevant to readers.