Cultural Materialism

Dr Rama Islam
13-06-2021
 Cultural Materialism
• Cultural Materialism seeks to explain cultural
organisation, ideology and symbolism within a
materialistic framework.
• Cultural materialists believe that a society
develops on a trial and error basis

• Materialistic : Infrastructure, Structure,

Superstructure
• The term, cultural materialism is coined by Marvin Harris
in his The Rise of Anthropological Theory (1968). The
theory is derived from the two concepts: “Culture” and
“Materialism”
• Culture: Social structure, language, law, religion, politics,
art, science, superstition etc.
• Materialism: Materiality, rather than intellect or
spirituality, is fundamental to reality.
Harris developed the concept from the existing
anthropological doctrines, especially Marxist materialism
 Infrastructure, Structure, Superstructure

• Infrastructure: Population, basic biological

need, and resources (labor, equipment and
technology etc)
• Structure: Pattern of Organisation (government,
education, production regulation etc)
• Superstructure: Social institutions (law, religion,
politics, art, science, superstition, values,
emotions, traditions etc)