Introduction to
Anthropology
BS-Arch. 4th Semester
BS-TH. 1st Semester
AN-100
SPRING 2023
Lecture # 7th & 8th
Week: 4th
Zoom Online Class
Date: 12th April 2023
Cultural
Evolution
Introducti
on
Cultural evolution is the idea that cultural change constitutes an evolutionary process.
Cultural change constitutes an evolutionary process because cultural traits vary, they are
inherited via social learning from individual to individual, and some cultural traits are more
likely to be passed on than others.
cultural evolution, also called sociocultural evolution, the development of one or more
cultures from simpler to more complex forms.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the subject was viewed as a unilineal phenomenon that
describes the evolution of human behavior as a whole.
Originally proposed by E.B. Tylor, unilineal evolution suggests that all cultures evolved
through three sequential stages: savagery, barbarism, and, finally, civilization (Sidky 2004)
Cont
d.
“Cultural evolution” is the idea that human cultural change––that is, changes in
socially transmitted beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, and so
on––can be described as a Darwinian evolutionary process that is similar in key
respects (but not identical) to biological/genetic evolution.
Cultural evolution is the idea that cultural change constitutes an evolutionary
process.
Cultural change constitutes an evolutionary process because cultural traits vary, they
are inherited via social learning from individual to individual, and some cultural traits
are more likely to be passed on than others.
Stages of Cultural Evolution: Lewis Henry
Morgan
Lewis Henry Morgan is an American anthropologist who was influential both as a
cultural evolutionist and because of his research into kinship systems.
Trained as a lawyer, he eventually studied the Iroquois Culture in New York State, and
became interested in anthropology.
In 1877, he wrote a book entitled Ancient Society, or Researches in the Lines of
Human Progress from Savagery through Barbarism to Civilization. He divided the
human past into three cultural stages, and subdivided and defined these stages as
shown on the chart below.
Savagery (Paleolithic) was fire, the bow and arrow and pottery.
Barbarism (Mesolithic) was the domestication of animals, agriculture and
metalworking.
And the alphabet and writing was the Civilization stage (Neolithic).
Cultural Stage Divisions Traits Used by Morgan Archaeological "stages"
Monotheism,monogamy, capitalism, Civilization (ca. 5000 years ago) Traits
Civilization None industrialism, democracy, social classes,
political state, patriarchy
include intensive agriculture, social
stratification, political state, full-time
occupational specialists.
Neolithic (ca. 12,000 ya) Traits include
dependency on domesticated plants and
Upper Barbarism Use of Iron animals; ie. horticulture; ground stone tools;
pottery. Eventually in certain areas a Bronze
Age and/or Iron Age developed as Neolithic
cultures added the use of metal.
Barbarism
Middle Barbarism Animal domestication, patrilineal clans; Same; Neolithic is not subdivided in
individual ownership, polygamy archaeology
Lower Barbarism Plant domestication, pottery, matrilineal Same; Neolithic is not subdivided in
clans, communal ownership; clan exogamy archaeology
Upper Savagery Bow and Arrow
Paleolithic (ca. 2 million years ago to 12,000
Middle Savagery Fire, fishing, hunting, sibling marriage ya) Traits include dependency on hunting
prohibited
Savagery and gathering, ie. foraging; flaked stone
[Link] Paleolithic is divided into Lower,
Middle and Upper, but not based on
Lower Savagery Before fire; fruits and nuts; promiscuous Morgan's traits
bands, indiscriminate mating; communistic
Look closely at the traits Morgan lists for Civilization. Clearly they are the traits of
the United States of the 1800's.
Many modern Americans might not agree that patriarchy (a society were males
have all the power both politically and within the family) is a trait possessed by the
most progressive cultures.
Cultural evolutionism clearly was ethnocentric, claiming that the traits possessed in
this case by the United States were not only the best, but that all cultures would
inevitably progress to be like us.
In addition, there is no validity to Morgan's list of traits.
It does not represent the details of cultural development historically. Morgan of
course was trying to find existing cultures who were in the different stages.
Archaeology was still in its beginning, as was cultural anthropology, and available
information was sparse.
When he heard that certain Hawaiian alii could marry half-siblings in traditional
Hawaiian culture, and that Hawai'i lacked pottery, Morgan classified Hawai'i as
being in the stage of Lower Savagery (despite its sophisticated agriculture, class
stratification, and political state).
Archaeologically, all that can be supported is to say that indeed humans started as
foragers, in many areas eventually developed horticulture, and in some areas
developed the political state.
All cultures do change. Anthropologists do not claim this is progress, since the
meaning of "progress" is dependent upon one's own cultural values.
Unfortunately, from an anthropological view, the cultural evolutionists triumphed.
Most Americans believe that cultures' inevitably progress, to the extent that many
believe that all change is progress.
Most Americans believe that the United States is the most progressive culture, and
that all cultures should and will "evolve" to be more like us.
The world's cultures are still divided into three evolutionary stages:
a "first" world, or developed countries; (including Japan, America, Canada, South
Korea, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Israel, Germany, etc. )
a "second" world of developing countries; (including Turkey, Russia, Peru, Ukraine,
Poland, Kyrgyzstan, etc. )
a "third" world of undeveloped countries. (including Syria, Yeman, Pakistan, India,
Afghanistan, Egypt, Argentina, Mexico, Phillippines, etc.)
It is assumed that both the "third" and the "second" world will eventually "evolve"
into developed, industrial, capitalistic, democratic cultures similar to those already
in the "first" world.
Meanwhile, the goal of developed countries should be to help less developed
countries become more like us--whether they want to or not. This is the modern
version of cultural evolutionism.
So while cultural evolutionism is no longer an acceptable paradigm in anthropology,
it is alive and well as part of the American world view.
Reference
s:
[Link]
al-approach-to-evolutionism
/
[Link]
[Link]#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCultural%20evolution%E2%80%9D%2
0is%20the%20idea,)%20to%20biological%2Fgenetic%20evolution
.
https://
[Link]/access/content/user/millerg/ANTH_200/A200Unit1/Stagescultura
[Link]
[Link]
_College/Archaeology%3A_It%27s_More_Than_Digging_In_The_Dirt_%28Scheib%29
/02%3A_Early_Archaeology_%
28Before_the_1960s%29/2.01%3A_Archaeology_in_Europe
