Year: 2001
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Anthropological and behavioral ecological studies of living hunter-gatherers have flourished since the 1960’s. Researchers have developed and followed a variety of paradigms, each with its own assumptions and objectives, based on the behavior of hunter-gatherer communities. I argue here that in order to evaluate the validity of the use of a specific hunter-gatherer group for particular paradigmatic purposes, details of the histor-ical and social context of the group are needed. The use of an inappropriate group, as determined by its context, can call into question the conclusions of a study. A method for classifying hunter-gatherer groups according to progressive stages of his-torical contact and interrelations with agricultural neighbors is proposed. The use of this classification system can aid in analyzing and answering important questions concerning the hunter-gatherer adaptation: what explains immediate return and delayed return sys-tems? Why do hunter-gatherers persist today? Can contemporary hunter-gatherers be used as valid models or analogues for prehistoric human behavior? The answers to these questions are related to the ultimate question: Why study hunter-gatherers?
DOI: 10.14989/68408
Author: Daniel Stiles
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2171603364