Cultural Materialist Theory Explained

Cultural Materialism

The theory of cultural materialism was founded by the cultural anthropologist Marvin Harris. He had two main ideas about society.
First, he believed that society was made up of many different parts (this idea also exists in functionalism).
Secondly, he believed that those parts could not be looked at or studied separately because, in the case of social change, when one piece of society
changed, the other parts of society had to change as well.

Marvin Harris

Cultural materialism analyzes cultural and societal patterns within a materialistic framework. It seeks to explain how the practical circumstances of human life have a critical impact on the nature and functioning of a society. It looks at the relation between human resources and the environment. In other words, it looks at the limitations imposed on humans by environmental constraints. Certain social groups will be limited in their use of resources by uncontrolled environmental factors. Some factors may be modified to a certain extent, but environmental controls still exist.

Certain societies have more access to technology, which can improve their
infrastructure. Therefore, it will make them more successful than others in
overcoming environmental factors.

How does social change occur according to cultural materialism?

The Industrial Revolution in England in the 1700s was a time of rapid growth in
innovation and technology. This was a time in history when rapid social change
occurred, as thousands of people moved from farms in the country to the city ...

where work was available in factories. In the view of cultural materialism, this process was sped up and widely accepted because increasing the practical conditions relating to subsistence and the modes of production – the infrastructure – of a society leads to an increase of profits and the evolution of society.

In cultural materialism, in some cases, if a negative change or innovation occurs in one area of society, unfavourable to a society’s capacity to maintain or increase its productivity levels, it is usually met with some kind of resistance. At all times, society should remain stable in order to satisfy its productive needs. In the case where positive social change or innovation is thought to be occurring, it will be widely accepted and supported so that society can gain more control over environmental factors.

Social change is dictated by the fluctuations in the environmental constraints that every society must live with. The impetus behind social change is the maintaining of a balanced society where the basic needs of the population are met.

Multiple Select

According to the video, Harris did research on...

• Sacred Cows

• Protein deficiencies

• Cannibalism

• Boasian tradition

Multiple Choice

Cultural Materialism is founded on the idea that humans have certain needs and it depends on how human beings chose to organize those needs, that yields a specific culture.

• True

• False

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Religion, art, sports, music, dance, literature, and rituals are all examples of a society's...​ ​

Placeholder

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Superstructure

Infrastructure

Structure

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Mode of production, technology, work patterns, environment & physical conditions, birth & death rates, r, and all basic human needs are all aspects of ​a society's...

Placeholder

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Infrastructure

Superstructure

Structure

Drag and Drop

Political economy, laws, government, social classes, kinship, family organization, gender roles are all examples of a society's​

Placeholder

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Structure

Superstructure

Infrastructure

Multiple Choice

At all times, society should remain stable in order to satisfy its productive needs.

• True

• False

Dropdown

Once the ​

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changes, then the ​​

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changes.