Culture, Biology, and Anthropological Demography (New Perspectives on Anthropological and Social Demography)

232 Pages·2004·1.73 MB·English

by  Eric Abella Roth

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Culture, Biology, and Anthropological Demography
Culture,Biology,andAnthropologicalDemographyattemptsarapproche-
mentofanthropologicaldemographyandhumanevolutionaryecology
throughrecognitionofcommonresearchtopicsandtheconstructionof
abroadtheoreticalframeworkincorporatingbothculturalandbiological
motivation.Twodistinctiveapproachestothestudyofhumandemog-
raphy exist within anthropology today – anthropological demography
and human evolutionary ecology. The first stresses the role of culture
indeterminingpopulationparameters,whereasthesecondpositsthat
demographic rates reflect adaptive behaviors that are the products of
naturalselection.Boththeseapproachesareutilizedtosearchfordemo-
graphicstrategiesinvariedculturalandtemporalcontextsrangingfrom
African pastoralists through North American postindustrial societies.
Although both of these approaches have achieved notable successes,
eachhasignoredoractivelydisparagedtheother.Inanattempttoiniti-
ateadiscussionbetweenthetwofields,thisbookdevelopsaframework
recognizingculturalandbiologicaldemographicstrategies.
Eric Abella Roth is Professor of Anthropology in the Department of
Anthropology,UniversityofVictoria,andanAffiliate,CenterforStudies
in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington – Seattle. He
hasconducteddemographicanthropologicalfieldworkintheCanadian
Subarctic, the Sudan, and northern Kenya. He is coeditor of African
PastoralistSystems:AnIntegratedApproach(1994,LynneRienner).
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NewPerspectivesonAnthropologicalandSocialDemography
Serieseditors:
DavidI.KertzerandDennisP.Hogan(BrownUniversity)
Associateeditors:
JackCaldwell,AndrewCherlin,TomFricke,FrancesGoldscheider,
SusanGreenhalgh,andRichardSmith
Demographydealswithissuesofgreatsocialimportance,anddemographicre-
searchfuelssomeofthecentralcurrentpolicydebatesofourtime.Nevertheless,
demographic theory has not changed much over the years, and old and some-
timesinappropriatemodelsarestillbeingappliedtonewproblems.Increasingly,
however,demographershavebecomeawareofthelimitationsofstandardsurveys
andstatistics,andtheyaremovingtoincorporatetheoreticalandmethodologi-
calapproachesfromotherdisciplines,inparticularanthropology.Fortheirpart,
anthropologistshavegenerallyfailedtotakeaccountoftheadvancesinmodern
demography,buttheyarenowbeginningtotakepartinthecentraldebateson
questionsoftheoryandpolicyinpopulationresearch.Anewwaveofinterdisci-
plinaryresearchisemerging,combiningtheinterestsandapproachesofdemog-
raphers,anthropologists,andothersocialscientists.Someofthemostinteresting
productsofthisnewwavewillbepublishedinNewPerspectivesonAnthropological
andSocialDemography.
Booksintheseriesinclude
1. CensusandIdentity
ThePolitcsofRace,Ethnicity,andLanguageinNationalCensuses
editedbyDavidKertzerandDominiqueArel
ISBN0521808235HB/0521004276PB
2. DemographyintheAgeofthePostmodern
NancyE.RileyandJamesMcCarthy
ISBN0521826268HB/0521533643PB
3. Culture,Biology,andAnthropologicalDemography
EricAbellaRoth
ISBN0521809053HB/0521005418PB
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Culture, Biology, and
Anthropological Demography
Eric Abella Roth
UniversityofVictoria
v
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521809054
© Eric Abella Roth 2004
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2004
isbn-13 978-0-511-21690-9 eBook (NetLibrary)
isbn-10 0-511-21690-4
eBook (NetLibrary)
isbn-13 978-0-521-80905-4 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-80905-3 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-00541-8 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-00541-8 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
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Contents
ListofFigures pageix
ListofTables xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1. AnthropologicalDemographyandHumanEvolutionary
Ecology 1
TwoSolitudes
WhyBother?
AnthropologicalDemography:Culture,notBiology
HumanBehavioralEcology:Biology,notCulture
HumanBehavioralEcology
Discussion:CulturalandBiologicalReductionism
2. ReconcilingAnthropologicalDemographyandHuman
EvolutionaryEcology 43
CommonGround
DemographicStrategies
ReproductiveInterests:SocialInteractions,LifeEffort,and
DemographicStrategies:ARendilleExample
SepaadeasMaleMatingEffort
RendillePrimogenitureasaParentingStrategy
Summary:DemographicStrategiesasLinksBetweenBiology
andCulture
3. MatingEffortandDemographicStrategies 70
MatingEffortasDemographicStrategies
Cross-CulturalMatingStrategies:PolygynyandBridewealth;
MonogamyandDowry
BridewealthandtheMatterofChoice
DemographicandCulturalChange:ValuesandMorals
TheEndoftheSepaadeTradition:BehavioralTrackingand
MoralChange
4. DemographicStrategiesasParentingEffort 111
ParentingEffortandtheTheoryofAllocation
TheTrivers–WillardModelandParentingStrategies
Parity-SpecificParentalStrategies:TheCaseofPrimogeniture
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viii Contents
ParentalInvestment:TheLocalResourceCompetitionModel
InfanticideandChildAbandonment:AccentuatingtheNegative
AdoptioninModernChina:StressingthePositive
Summary:CultureandBiologyinInheritanceStrategies
5. FutureResearchDirections 155
TheCentralityofSexinAnthropologyandEvolution
MaleSexuality,Education,andHigh-RiskBehavior
FinalGround:DemographicTransitions
ReferencesCited 175
Index 205
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Figures
1.1. Rendille–Ariaalsettlementsandland,MarsabitDistrict,
northernKenya(afterBatesandFratkin1998:205). page30
1.2. Survivalcurvessepaadeversusnonsepaadefirstmarriages;
oneage-setline. 34
2.1. ProposedmodificationofAlexander’smodelof
reproductiveinterests,incorporatingbothevolutionary
ecologyandculture. 51
2.2. Livestockholdingsbyparentalwealth,means,and
standarddeviations(afterRoth1999:530). 64
2.3. Marriagedistributionsbyeconomicstrata:1996D’fgudo
sample(afterRoth1999:530). 65
2.4. SurvivalanalysisforRendillemales,distinguishing
betweenthosewithandwithoutasurvivingmaleheir
alreadyinthefamily(afterRoth2000:270). 68
3.1. TheclassicPrisoners’Dilemma,asusedinAxelrod’s
tournaments.Notethatrowpayoffsarelistedfirst. 95
3.2. Survivalcurveforfirstmarriages(twoteerialines). 102
3.3. TLUdifferencefrom1982to1996byfirstwife;poor
stratum(meanandstandarddeviation;afterRoth
2001:1019). 106
3.4. TLUdifferencefrom1982to1996byfirstwife;rich
stratum(meanandstandarddeviation;afterRoth
2001:1019). 106
4.1. SpecificationsoftheWillard–Triversmodel(afterHrdy
1999:332). 116
4.2. Effectsofecologicalconditionsandfamilystatuson
treatmentofoffspring(inheritance;afterHrdyandJudge
1993:10). 120
4.3. Proportionofmaleswholivedtoadulthood,who
subsequentlydiedinwarfare,groupedbybirthorderand
placeofwarfaredeath(afterBoone1988:211). 123
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