Stephen K. Sanderson

Sanderson’s “evolutionary materialism” is intended as an extension of Harris’s theory of cultural materialism. Cultural materialism (CM), Sanderson claims, is well suited to explaining sociocultural conditions and changes in pre-modern societies such as the domestication of plants and animals, the development of chiefdoms and the state, social inequality and the rise of stratification. But CM does not do well when dealing with advanced agrarian societies, the transition to modernity, or with modern capitalist-industrial societies themselves. Starting from a foundation of cultural materialism, Sanderson’s intent is to develop a theory that is more capable of dealing with the origin, maintenance, and evolution of the entire range of human societies—from hunting and gathering through horticultural, agrarian and modern industrial societies.

Study Questions:

Address the following questions fully and completely in your own words and voice; save your answers electronically. You will see at least one of these questions on your next unit exam in which you will be asked to demonstrate that you have read and mastered the material. Prepare your answers now.

Compare and contrasts Sanderson's theory with Harris's Cultural Materialism.
According to Sanderson, what is the driving engine behind sociocultural evolution?
According to Sanderson, why did capitalism become dominant in the 16th century?
Discuss the expansion and deepening of the capitalist world system.
What are the three forms of globalization? How are they related?

Read:

Chapter 13: "Stephen K. Sanderson's Evolutionary Materialism" in Macrosociology: The Study of Sociocultural Systems.

Sanderson's Evolutionary Materialism

Bibliography:

Sanderson, S. (2007, June 20). About Sanderson. (F. Elwell, Interviewer)

Sanderson, S. K. (2007). Evolutionism and Its Critics: Deconstructing and Reconstructing an Evolutionary Interpretation of Human Society. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.

Sanderson, S. K. (1990). Social Evolutionism: A Critical History. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

Sanderson, S. K. (1999). Social Transformations: A General Theory of Historical Development. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Sanderson, S. K., & Alderson, A. S. (2005). World Societies: The Evolution of Human Social Life. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

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