Chapter 8 Economics

What We Will Learn  How do anthropologists study economic systems cross-culturally?  How do people use culture to help them adapt to their environment?  How are resources such as land and property allocated in different cultures?  What principles of distribution are used in various parts of the world?

Focus of Economics  Production  Distribution  Consumption

Economic Anthropology  Economics focuses on production, distribution, and consumption within the industrialized world.  Economic anthropology studies production, distribution, and consumption comparatively in all societies of the world, industrialized and nonindustrialized.

Cross-cultural Examination of Economic Systems 1. Regulation of resources: How land, water, and natural resources are controlled and allocated. 2. Production: How material resources are converted into usable commodities. 3. Exchange: How the commodities are distributed among the people of the society.

Division of Labor  Deciding which types of people will perform which categories of work.  Every society, whether large or small, distinguishes between the work appropriate for men and women and for adults and children.

Gender Specialization  Women generally tend crops, gather wild foods, care for children, prepare food, clean house, fetch water, and collect cooking fuel.  Men usually hunt, build houses, clear land for cultivation, herd large animals, fish, trap small animals, and serve as political functionaries.

Theories of Gender Specialization 1. Because men have greater body mass and strength, they are better equipped physically to engage in hunting, warfare, and land clearing. 2. Women do tasks that are compatible with child care. 3. In terms of reproduction, men tend to be more expendable than women.

Age Specialization  usually become involved in work activities at a considerably earlier age.  According to a study by the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 work throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and of these, nearly half work full-time.

Durkheim and Division of Labor Two types of societies  Mechanical solidarity - societies with a minimum of labor specialization.  Organic solidarity - highly specialized societies, solidarity is based on mutual interdependence.

Modes of Distribution  Reciprocity - The exchange of goods and services of roughly equal value between two trading partners.  Redistribution -Goods and services are given to a central authority and reallocated to the people according to a new pattern.  Market exchange - Involves the use of standardized currencies to buy and sell goods and services.

Three Kinds of Reciprocity 1. Generalized - involves giving a gift without any expectation of immediate return. 2. Balanced - exchange of goods and services with the expectation that equivalent value will be returned within a specific period of time. 3. Negative - exchange of goods and services between equals in which the parties try to gain an advantage.

Redistribution  Goods are given to a central authority and then given back to the people in a new pattern.  Redistribution involves two distinct stages: 1. An inward flow of goods and services to a social center. 2. An outward dispersal of these goods and services back to society.

Globalization  Since the 1980s the economies of the world have become globalized.  Tariffs are lowered and trading is deregulated.  Increased the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Quick Quiz

1.The sub-discipline of ________ studies production, distribution, and consumption comparatively in all societies of the world, industrialized and non-industrialized alike. a) economic anthropology b) cultural anthropology c) applied anthropology d) material culture

Answer: a  The sub-discipline of economic anthropology studies production, distribution, and consumption comparatively in all societies of the world, industrialized and non- industrialized alike.

2. _______ refers to how commodities are distributed among the people of a society. a) The regulation of resources b) Allocation of resources c) Production d) Exchange

Answer: d  Exchange refers to how commodities are distributed among the people of a society.

3. Whether based simply on gender and age, or more complex reasons, all societies have established ________ to allocate tasks. a) divisions of labor b) divisions of gender c) age set categories d) hierarchical roles

Answer: a  Whether based simply on gender and age, or more complex reasons, all societies have established divisions of labor to allocate tasks.

4. Lack of knowledge and physical strength may be a reason for ________ division of labor. a) gender b) age c) specialization d) hierarchical

Answer: b  Lack of knowledge and physical strength may be a reason for age division of labor.

5. The term ________ refers to social solidarity resulting from increased labor specialization and mutual interdependence. a) labor solidarity b) organic solidarity c) social solidarity d) mechanical solidarity

Answer: b  The term organic solidarity refers to social solidarity resulting from increased labor specialization and mutual interdependence.