ANTH Chapter 7 + Economic Anthropology

what is economics?

the academic discipline that studies systems of production, distribution, and consumption, typically in the industrialized world (sometimes called formal economics)

what is home economics?

relates to the managements of domestic resources, household members, and their activities (seen in ancient Greece)

what is the formal economics theory?

assumptions about economic behaviour based on the experience of Western industrialized economies (supply and demand)

* assumes people think rationally and want to maximize their profits

what is supply and demand?

When demand is high and supply low, producers can charge high prices and earn profits

what is economic anthropology?

the branch of anthropology that looks at cross-cultural systems of production, distribution, and consumption

what is production?

goods are obtained from the natural environment and altered to become consumable goods for society. Also involves the transformation of one item refashioned into another.

what is distribution?

how commodities and services, once produced, are distributed among members of the society

what is consumption?

the culturally relative way goods and services are consumed

what is the allocation of resources?

* a society’s regulation and control of such resources as land and water and their by-products
* In Canada, resource allocation is based on the principle of private ownership

what are the productive units in industrialized vs. non-industrialized societies?

* In industrialized societies the productive unit is the private company (ranges from small, individually owned business to huge corporations)
* In most non-industrialized societies, the productive unit is the household. Relies on family labour to produce farm products

what is the division of labour?

the assignment of day-to-day tasks to the various members of a society

what is labour specialization?

* the extent to which productive activities are divided among members of a society
* The more industrialized a society, the more specialized the labour

what are the five major food-procurement categories?

foraging, horticulture, pastoralism, intensive agriculture, and industrial agriculture

what is foraging?

living by hunting animals, gathering wild plants, and fishing

what is horticulture?

rely on human power and simple tools to work small plots of land to produce food primarily for household consumption (small-scale cultivation)

what is pastoralism?

breed and care of domestic and other animals, and then uses their products (e.g., milk, meat, hair, etc.) either for a source of food or exchange. Animal husbandry

what is intensive agriculture?

large-scale and complex system of farming and animal husbandry. Uses animal or mechanical power, as well as irrigation systems, and fertilizers

what is industrial agriculture?

(agribusiness) relies on complex machinery, genetically modified animals and plant seeds.

what is a free-market exchange (Canada)

* based on the principle of “capacity to pay”
* People receive money for their labour and then use that money to purchase the goods and services that they want or need

what is reciprocity? (Sahlins)

exchange of goods and services of roughly equal value between two parties without the use of money.

what is generalized reciprocity?

gift giving without expecting a gift in return; creates of moral obligation. Usually occurs between family members or close friends

what is balanced reciprocity?

the practice of gift giving with the expectation that it will be reciprocated with a similar gift after a limited period of time

what is negative reciprocity?

a form of economic exchange between individuals who try to take advantage of each other

what is redistribution?

goods and services are given by members of a group to a central authority and then distributed back to the donors

what are the two stages of redistribution?

* Inward flow of goods and services to a social centre
* Outward dispersal of these goods and services back to society

what is chiefly redistribution?

* (tribute) the practice in which goods (usually food) are given to a chief as a visible symbol of people’s allegiance, and then the chief gives the items back to the people (usually in the form of a feast)
* Serves several important social functions at once. Dispenses goods in a society, affirms political power of the chief, and increases solidarity

what is a potlatch?

a gift-giving ceremony among Indigenous populations on the northwest coast of Canada and the USA that serves as a mechanism for both achieving social status and distributing goods

(they were banned in 1885 but was lifted in 1951)

what is market distribution?

goods and services are bought and sold, and their value is determined by the principle of supply and demand

what is the coincidence of wants?

* the basic problem of barter whereby one exchange partner lacks what the other wants
* Solution is to have a standard currency → money is a common trait of market economies

what are informal market economies?

legal but unregulated exchange of goods and services that escape government control and regulation

what are underground economies?

illegal market activities such as prostitution, drug dealing, human trafficking, and racketeering

what are the three parts of economy?

production, distribution / exchange, and consumption

what is the principle of reciprocity?

the notion of pure gift is simply ideology, in reality no one does anything for nothing

what did Mauss say about exchange?

exchange is the “atom” of human society; its most basic element

how did Karl Polanyi divide economy?

* three types according to the dominant mode of distribution:
* Reciprocity: the return of a gift
* Redistribution: collection from members of a group and then redistribution within this group
* Market: involves money and profit

what is stone age economics (Marshall Sahlins)

* Reciprocity is a material transactions – usually a momentary episode in a continuous social relation
* The social relation governs the nature of the immediate exchange and the flow of goods

what are futured languages?

* future is different than present
* English : it will rain tomorrow, it is raining, it rained yesterday

what are futureless languages?

* future is similar to present
* German, Mandarin Chinese
* They are the best savers, because they perceive future as similar to present
* Less likely to smoke, be obese, and more likely to use a condom