Cultural Ecology

Cultural Ecology/Cultural Anthropology
Ecology is a biological term for the interaction of organisms and their environment,
which includes other organisms. Cultural ecology is a theoretical approach that
attempts to explain similarities and differences in culture in relation to the environment.
Highly focused on how the material culture, or technology, related to basic survival, i.e.,
subsistence, cultural ecology was the first theoretical approach to provide a causal
explanation for those similarities and differences. Developed by Julian Steward in the
1930s and 1940s, cultural ecology became an influential approach within anthropology,
particularly archaeology. Elements of the approach are still seen today in ethnoecology,
political ecology, human behavioral ecology, and the ecosystems approach (Tucker
2013).
Using Steward’s approach, anthropologists compare cultures in order to determine what

factors influence similar cultural development; in other words, similar adaptations. In
cultural ecology, cultures, not individuals, adapt. This approach assumes that culture is
superorganic, a concept Steward learned from Alfred Kroeber (see historical
particularism).
Julian Steward
Steward proposed that we could begin to understand these adaptations by first

examining the cultural core, as this was the critical cultural component that dealt with
the ability of the culture to survive. The cultural core was comprised of the technology,
knowledge, labor, and family organization used to collect resources from the
environment (Tucker 2013). He then thought that examination of behaviors associated
with the cultural core was necessary, which included the organization of labor. Thirdly,
Steward advocated for examining how social institutions and belief systems were
impacted by subsistence-related behaviors. According to the cultural ecology school of
thought, cultural similarities were explained by adaptations to similar environmental
conditions, causing the approach to be labeled environmental determinism. Cultural
changes were due to changing environmental conditions. Since environmental changes
were not predictable, cultures changed in multiple directions. Cultures that may have
been similar at one point might become dissimilar if environmental conditions changed.
Conversely, cultures that were dissimilar could become similar. This idea of multi-
directional change is called multilinear evolution and is one of the major departures from
earlier evolutionary explanations of culture. Leslie White was another proponent of
cultural ecology, although he was focused primarily on how cultures harvested energy
from the environment and how much energy they used.
References
Brown, Curtis. “Functionalism.” In International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences,

Vol. 3, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 231-233. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA,
2008.
Buzney, Catherine and Jon Marcoux. Cultural Materialism. University of Alabama

Department of Anthropology Anthropological Theories: A Guide Prepared by Students
for Students. Accessed March 5, 2015.
http://anthropology.ua.edu/cultures/cultures.php?culture=Cultural%20Materialism.
Cooke, Bill. “Postmodernism.” In Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Vol. 4, edited by H.

James Birx, 1912-1915. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Reference, 2006.
Graber, Robert Bates. “Social Evolution.” In 21st Century Anthropology: A Reference

Handbook, Vol. 2, edited by H. James Birx, 576-585. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Reference, 2010.
Harris, Marvin and Orna Johnson. 2007. Cultural Anthropology, 7th edition. Boston:
Pearson.
Harrison, Anthony Kwame. “Thick Description.” In Theory in Social and Cultural

Anthropology: An Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, edited by R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms,
860-861. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2013.
Johnson, Michelle C. “Symbolic and Interpretive Anthropology.” In Theory in Social and

Cultural Anthropology: An Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, edited by R. Jon McGee and Richard L.
Warms, 841-846. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2013.
Kelly, Petrina, Xia Chao, Andrew Scruggs, Lucy Lawrence, and Katherine Mcghee-
Snow. “Culture and Personality.” The University of Alabama Department of
Anthropology, Anthropological Theories: A Guide Prepared by Students for Students.
Accessed March 5, 2015. http://anthropology.ua.edu/cultures/cultures.php?
culture=Culture%20and%20Personality.
Lukas, Scott A. “Postmodernism.” In Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An

Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, edited by R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms, 639-645.
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2013.
Margolis, Maxine L. “Cultural Materialism.” In Theory in Social and Cultural

Anthropology, Vol. 1, edited by R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms, 147-149.
Sullivan, Gerald. “Culture and Personality.” In Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Vol. 2,

edited by H. James Birx, 641-645. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2006.
Tucker, Bram. “Cultural Ecology.” In Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An

Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, edited by R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms, 142-147.

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Cultural Ecology/Cultural Anthropology

Using Steward’s approach, anthropologists compare cultures in order to determine what

Steward proposed that we could begin to understand these adaptations by first

Brown, Curtis. “Functionalism.” In International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences,

Buzney, Catherine and Jon Marcoux. Cultural Materialism. University of Alabama

Cooke, Bill. “Postmodernism.” In Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Vol. 4, edited by H.

Graber, Robert Bates. “Social Evolution.” In 21st Century Anthropology: A Reference

Harrison, Anthony Kwame. “Thick Description.” In Theory in Social and Cultural

Johnson, Michelle C. “Symbolic and Interpretive Anthropology.” In Theory in Social and

Lukas, Scott A. “Postmodernism.” In Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An

Margolis, Maxine L. “Cultural Materialism.” In Theory in Social and Cultural

Sullivan, Gerald. “Culture and Personality.” In Encyclopedia of Anthropology, Vol. 2,

Tucker, Bram. “Cultural Ecology.” In Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: An

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