Humans and the origins of society Flashcards
how old are humans
200,000 years old
where is considered to be the birthplace of mankind
africa
what were the 2 main species of humans
australopithecus and homo erectus
how old are Australopithecu
1.8million years old
how old are homo erectus
400,00-500,000
what is the current human species
homo sapiens
how old are homo sapiens
200,000 years
what is environmental determinism
environmental determinism is the idea that the environment determines society particularly responsible for inequalities and the progression of certain places due to their environment
what are hunter gathers
societies that rely on gathering, or foraging. involved a certain mode of production that is self contained yet reliant on their environment.
when did colonialism start
1940s era
what is are 3 counter arguments for environmental determinism
- before colonialism, many areas had similar levels of progression
- societies progressed then regressed such as the greeks.
- environmental possibilism
what is environmental possibilism
this is the idea that humans control their development of culture and that the environment allows various possibilities for the culture
up until how many years ago did all humans live as hunter gatherers
10,000
2 examples of hunter gathers around today and where
inuit - canada
semang - malaysia
exchange relationships in hunter gathers are known as
primitive communism
two main ways of exchange within hunter gather
generalised reciprocity
balanced reciprocity
what is generalised reciprocity
form of exchange based on the assumptions that ruturns will even out in the long term
balanced reciprocity
exchange of good where a value is attached to an item and something of equal value is expected in return
what was the alternative to hunter gatherer
agricultural societies
where is thought that agriculture first appeared
fertile crescent in the middle east, 7-6,000BC
two main ideas behind the rise in agriculture
experimentation
meeting demand to on resources
why was there an increase in demand on on resources leading to the rise in agriculture
climatic change- cold snap occurring around 13,300 years ago
population growth- sudden growth in population caused increase in demand for food
what were agricultural societies heavily reliant on
the domestication of animals such as wolves and horses
what did agriculture cause
a permanent surplus of food.
what did agriculture and a permanent surplus of food cause
- People irreversibly changed the natural environment.
- The production of surplus enabled a division of labour.
- Societies became organised in hierarchical structures with people engaged in new activities: teachers, rulers and warriors.
what did jared diamond argue
Argues environment determines society, geography was the key factor that made the Europeans successful due particular distribution of plants and animals.
What is jared diamonds book called and what the date
guns germs and steel 1997
what are the two key arguments diamond 1997 makes
- Indigenous plant species enabled certain parts of the world to develop agricultural societies.
- If you live in an agricultural society, diseases are more likely to spread, one can build immunity and spread diseases elsewhere.
is blaut book written piece called and year
environmentalism and eurocentrism 1999
what are the two main critics of diamonds arguments made by blaut 1999
- Jared diamond ignores the process of colonialism
- Eurocentric
- Too crude and generalising
- Neglects choice
