For roughly 99% of their existence on earth, Homo sapiens lived in small bands of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, finding everything they needed to survive and thrive in the biological richness that surrounded them. Most if not all of the problems that threaten our own technologically advanced society -- from depletion of natural capital to the ever-present possibility of global annihilation -- would be inconceivable to these traditional, immediate-return societies. In fact, hunter-gatherer societies appear to have solved problems of production, distribution, and social and environmental sustainability that our own culture seems incapable of addressing.Limited Wants, Unlimited Means examines the hunter-gatherer society and lifestyle from a variety of perspectives. It provides a brief introduction to the rich anthropological and sociological literature on non-agricultural societies, bringing together in one volume seminal writings on the few remaining hunter-gatherer cultures including, the !Kung, the Hadza, and the Aborigines. It examines the economics of traditional societies, and concludes with a multifaceted investigation of how such societies function and what they can teach us in our own quest for environmental sustainability and social equality.Limited Wants, Unlimited Means is an important work for students of cultural anthropology, economic anthropology, environmental studies, and sustainable development, as well as for professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in prehistoric societies, environmental sustainability, or social justice.
Foreword A Note from the Editor Introduction: Back to the Future and Forward to the Past
PART I. Original Affluent Societies Chapter 1. The Original Affluent Society Chapter 2. What Hunters Do for a Living, or, How to Make Out on Scarce Resources Chapter 3. Sharing, Talking, and Giving: Relief of Social Tensions Among the !Kung Chapter 4. Egalitarian Societies
PART II. The Original Affluent Society: Assessment And Extensions Chapter 5. Beyond ""The Original Affluent Society""?: A Culturalist Reformulation Chapter 6. Women's Status in Egalitarian Society: Implications for Social Evolution Chapter 7. Art, Science, or Politics? The Crisis in HunterGatherer Studies Chapter 8. The Future of HunterGatherer Research
PART III. HunterGatherers and Visions of the Future Chapter 9. The Transformation of the Kalahari !Kung Chapter 10. So Varied in Detail'So Similar in Outline Chapter 11. Future Primitive Chapter 12. A Post-Historic Primitivism
