ANTH 206 Lecture Notes - Aitutaki, Work Ethic, Coral Island
5 Jun 2012
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Geertz: one doesn"t, remembering aztecs human sacrifices or the self-immolation of. Indian widows, know whether to laugh or to cry. Assumes that every society is well adapted to their environments. Fails to account for cultural diversity within single environments. Environment does not cause a culture to be a certain way, but rather makes it possible for it to be certain ways and impossible for it to be other ways. Explains why some polynesian societies are more stratified than others. The dividing of a society into levels based on power or socioeconomic status. As resource availability increases, the stratification level increases. Leaders can direct the use of the surplus food. Environment did not determine how stratified the society is, but made it possible for the polynesians to choose it. The more rights the chiefs has, the more stratified the island is. Explains why some societies became dominant over others in the course of history.
