Limited Wants, Unlimited Means : A Reader On Hunter-Gatherer Economics And The Environment

For roughly 99% of their existence on earth, Homo sapiens lived in small bands of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, finding everything they needed to survive and thrive in the biological richness that surrounded them. Most if not all of the problems that threaten our own technologically advanced society -- from depletion of natural capital to the ever-present possibility of global annihilation -- would be inconceivable to these traditional, immediate-return societies. In fact, hunter-gatherer societies appear to have solved problems of production, distribution, and social and environmental sustainability that our own culture seems incapable of addressing. Limited Wants, Unlimited Means examines the hunter-gatherer society and lifestyle from a variety of perspectives. It provides a brief introduction to the rich anthropological and sociological literature on non-agricultural societies, bringing together in one volume seminal writings on the few remaining hunter-gatherer cultures including, the !Kung, the Hadza, and the Aborigines. It examines the economics of traditional societies, and concludes with a multifaceted investigation of how such societies function and what they can teach us in our own quest for environmental sustainability and social equality. Limited Wants, Unlimited Means is an important work for students of cultural anthropology, economic anthropology, environmental studies, and sustainable development, as well as for professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in prehistoric societies, environmental sustainability, or social justice.

<p>For roughly 99% of their existence on earth, Homo sapiens lived in small bands of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, finding everything they needed to survive and thrive in the biological richness that surrounded them. Most if not all of the problems that threaten our own technologically advanced society - from depletion of natural capital to the ever-present possibility of global annihilation-would be inconceivable to these traditional, immediate-return societies. In fact, hunter-gatherer societies appear to have solved problems of production, distribution, and social and environmental sustainability that our own culture seems incapable of addressing.<p>Limited Wants, Unlimited Means examines the hunter-gatherer society and lifestyle from a variety of perspectives. It provides a brief introduction to the rich anthropological and sociological literature on non-agricultural societies, bringing together in one volume seminal writings on the few remaining hunter-gatherer cultures including, the !Kung, the Hadza, and the Aborigines. It examines the economics of traditional societies, and concludes with a multifaceted investigation of how such societies function and what they can teach us in our own quest for environmental sustainability and social equality.<p>Limited Wants, Unlimited Means is an important work for students of cultural anthropology, economic anthropology, environmental studies, and sustainable development, as well as for professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in prehistoric societies, environmental sustainability, or social justice.

Booknews

Anthropologists turn the favorite idiom of economists on its head and argue that the environmental destruction of modern society is not viable, inevitable or even particularly enviable. They produce evidence that hunter-gatherers needed little, wanted little, for the most part had all the means to satisfy their needs at their immediate disposal, and lived richer and more rewarding lives than we do. They put into a hunter-gatherer perspective contemporary problems such as social security, renewable resources, sexual equality, cultural diversity, and disparity of wealth. The 12 essays were originally published from the late 1960s to the 1990s. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About Island Press 3 Title Page 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Foreword 10 A Note from the Editor 14 Introduction: Back to the Future and Forward to the Past 16 One: Original Affluent Societies 36 1. The Original Affluent Society 40 2. What Hunters Do for a Living, or, How to Make Out on Scarce Resources 78 3. Sharing, Talking, and Giving: Relief of Social Tensions Among the !Kung 100 4. Egalitarian Societies 122 Two: The Orginal Affluent Society: Assessment and Extensions 146 5. Beyond “The Original Affluent Society”: A Culturalist Reformulation 150 6. Women’s Status in Egalitarian Society: Implications for Social Evolution 174 7. Art, Science, or Politics? The Crisis in Hunter-Gatherer Studies 200 8. The Future of Hunter-Gatherer Research 236 Three Hunter-Gatherers and Visions of the Future 254 9. The Transformation of the Kalahari !Kung 258 10. So Varied in Detail—So Similar in Outline 272 11. Future Primitive 290 12. A Post-Historic Primitivism 316 Index 364 "For roughly 99% of their existence on earth, Homo sapiens lived as small bands of hunter-gatherers in societies that appear to have solved problems of production, distribution, social equity, and environmental sustainability that our own culture seems incapable of addressing. Limited Wants, Unlimited Means examines the hunter-gatherer society and lifestyle, providing a brief introduction to the rich literature on non-agricultural societies. It examines the economics of traditional societies and presents a multifaceted investigation of how such societies function and what that can teach us in our own quest for sustainability and equality."--Jacket If economics is the dismal science, the study of hunting and gathering economies must be its most advanced branch.