The concept of "cultural transmission" is central to much contemporary anthropological theory, since successful human reproduction through social systems is essential for effective survival and for enhancing the adaptiveness of individual humans and local populations. Yet, what is understood by the phrase and how it might best be studied is highly contested. This book brings together contributions that reflect the current diversity of approaches - from the fields of biology, primatology, palaeoanthropology, psychology, social anthropology, ethnobiology, and archaeology - to examine social and cultural transmission from a range of perspectives and at different scales of generalization. The comprehensive introduction explores some of the problems and connections. Overall, the book provides a timely synthesis of current accounts of cultural transmission in relation to cognitive process, practical action, and local socio-ecological context, while linking these with explanations of longer-term evolutionary trajectories.
Arvustused
This is an important contribution to the study of human knowledge and cultural transmission, and it squarely addresses contemporary concerns to cultivate a cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas and methodsThe chapters are of high academic standard, well written and accessible to the interested reader who does not (and is unlikely to) possess expertise in each of the fields represented. · Trevor H.J. Marchand, SOAS, University of London
The editors have assembled an excellent slate of authors. · Mike OBrien, University of Missouri
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vii | |
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ix | |
| Preface |
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xi | |
| Introduction: On the Concept of Cultural Transmission |
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1 | (54) |
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1 What Animals other than Primates can tell us about Human Cultural Transmission |
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55 | (25) |
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2 Culture in Non-human Primates: Definitions and Evidence |
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80 | (22) |
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Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher |
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3 Cultural Transmission Theory and Fossil Hominin Behaviour: A Discussion of Epistemological and Methodological Strengths |
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102 | (29) |
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4 Studying Cultural Transmission within an Interdisciplinary Cultural Evolutionary Framework |
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131 | (17) |
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5 Do Transmission Isolating Mechanisms (TRIMS) Influence Cultural Evolution? Evidence from Patterns of Textile Diversity within and between Iranian Tribal Groups |
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148 | (17) |
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6 Co-evolution between Bentwood Box Traditions and Languages on the Pacific Northwest Coast |
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165 | (26) |
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7 The Transmission of Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Skills among Tsimane' in the Bolivian Amazon |
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191 | (22) |
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8 Processual Perspectives on Traditional Environmental Knowledge: Continuity, Erosion, Transformation, Innovation |
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213 | (53) |
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9 Transmitting Penan Basketry Knowledge and Practice |
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266 | (34) |
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10 Plant Exchange and Social Performance: Implications for Knowledge Transfer in British Allotments |
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300 | (20) |
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11 Thinking Like a Cheese: Towards an Ecological Understanding of the Reproduction of Knowledge in Contemporary Artisan Cheese Making |
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320 | (26) |
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12 Lineages of Cultural Transmission |
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346 | (15) |
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| Notes on Contributors |
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361 | (6) |
| Index |
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367 | |
Roy Ellen is Professor of Anthropology and Human Ecology at the University of Kent, Canterbury. His recent publications include On the Edge of the Banda Zone (University of Hawaii Press, 2003), The Categorical Impulse: Essays on the Anthropology of Classifying Behavior (Berghahn Books, 2006), and Nuaulu Religious Practices: The Frequency and Reproduction of Rituals in a Moluccan Society (KITLV Press, 2012). He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a member of its Council. He was President of the Royal Anthropological Institute between 2007 and 2011.
