ANTA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Unilineal Evolution, Franz Boas, Unilineality
Document Summary
Lecture 12- understanding key transitions in world prehistory. Evolutionary studies: unilineal cultural evolution: the belief that human societies have evolved culturally along a single developmental trajectory, all cultures went through the same path, one track that all cultures go through. Evolutionary studies: darwin & the origin of species: things get selected over time if traits are selected. Evolutionary studies: john lubbock: unilineal selection- groups like tribes or hunter gathers are not advanced that western civilization or europeans have. One group more biologically advanced than the other. It implies that conflict between societies and between classes of the same society benefits humanity by removing unfit individuals and social forms: perspective that is racist. Evolutionary studies: franz boas (1858-1942: historical particularism - each culture has a different set of paths that it has behind it, particular to that region and that environment. Generalized historical sequence: subsistence: unilineal evolution- least primitive band to more primitive state, foraging = hunter gathers.
