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Social Science General

Rethinking Social Evolution

The Perspective from Middle-Range Societies

by (author) Jérôme Rousseau

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
Oct 2006
Category
General, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780773531109
    Publish Date
    Oct 2006
    List Price
    $45.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773578166
    Publish Date
    Oct 2006
    List Price
    $95.00

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Description

Human societies are characterized by complex and varied social systems that change through time due to communication and negotiation. Jérôme Rousseau makes cognitive complexity his starting point in an innovative study of how and why human societies evolve. The focus of Rousseau's enquiry is "middle-range" societies - a vast category between hunter-gatherers and states. Breaking away from traditional analyses of social evolution as a response to ecological constraints, he shows that social systems are maintained and transformed through self-interest and suggests that conflicts about sharing generate social transformations that result in inequality and increasingly encompassing socio-political structures. Rethinking Social Evolution is a wide-ranging exploration of how language and increased cognitive abilities constitute the motor of social evolution. Drawing on a wide range of ethnographic case studies, Rousseau offers a better understanding of how modern societies are the result of choices by people who both collaborate and compete.

About the author

Jérôme Rousseau is professor, anthropology, McGill University, and the author of several books, including Central Borneo: Ethnic Identity and Social Life in a Stratified Society.

Jérôme Rousseau's profile page