ANTH 1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Trobriand Islands, Original Affluent Society, Seasonal Food

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH 1002
• Professor: Eric Henry

Document Summary

Lecture 7: what we want and how we get it. When anthropologists talk about economics or the economy, we don"t limit ourselves to talking about money or markets. We mean the full range of culturally specific processes that people use to provide themselves with material resources. Humans are often irrational, our choices are constrained (can"t take whatever we want), and we"re not always trying to maximize our wealth and material benefits. Some are consumed as food, others worn as clothing, and some products are even intentionally abandoned or destroyed. In terms of production, subsistence is basically how humans obtain all the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, and shelter. Different groups of people have different strategies for obtaining these products, which affects the meaning of these activities. Food producers: groups of people whose subsistence is primarily derived from domesticated plants and animals.