Description
Book SynopsisBy bringing together economic anthropology, ecology, and culture history, The Anthropology of Complex Economic Systems not only proposes a new model of human social evolution, but equally importantly creates a methodology for speaking to, and against, our present economic and environmental situation.
Trade ReviewCaldararo begins to explore how human economic systems might have changed and evolved during the last several million years. This is an ambitious undertaking and he is to be congratulated for taking it on . . . I found many of the ideas and pieces of evidence in the book fascinating and thought-provoking. . . .[There is] a great deal to admire: this is a big book about big ideas. I loved his wide-ranging discussion, and I welcomed his argument that there is nothing so different about modern and traditional human economic systems that they cannot be studied within the same framework. * Reviews in Anthropology *
In The Anthropology of Complex Economic Systems: Inequality, Stability, and Cycles of Crisis, author Niccolo Caldararo rightly points to our understanding and application of economics as the source of our modern problems. Caldararo questions the assumptions upon which modern economics is based and proposes that by exploring economic anthropology one can better understand the basis of human economic behavior and can be applied to guide our future economic decisions and understanding. If one looks at early human populations and their interaction with and influence upon the environment and understands the challenges and decisions faced by these populations, we may better understand our modern economic behavior that may help uncover better solutions to present day issues and problems. A substantial part of the book is dedicated to establishing a model of the evolution of human economies and he strongly bases this model within human cultural history and its effects on the environment. He appeals to his readers to use the understanding of economic anthropology in explaining modern economic behavior and events. This well-composed book will be a valuable read not only for stimulating academic debate and further study but also for environmentalists, activists, and economists as we continue to address the serious problems facing our modern civilization. -- Daniel Harder, Santa Cruz Natural History Museum
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Anthropology and Economics: A Review Chapter 1: Anthropology and the Cosmology of Modern Economics Chapter 2: Wants, Needs, and the Question of Surplus versus Wealth Chapter 3: Complexity and Stability or Stagnation: Declining Returns and the Business Cycle Chapter 4: Wealth, Consumption, Quality of Life & Standard of Living Part II: Introduction to Hominid Economics Chapter 6: Introduction Chapter 7: Forest Fires, Origins, and Myths Chapter 8: Traditional Peoples and Fire Chapter 9: Climate and Fire, Assessing Time’s Arrow and the Antiquity of Anthropogenic Fire Chapter 10: Forest Management in Modern and Traditional Society Chapter 11: The Degraded Environment and Homo Sapiens Chapter 12: Co-evolutionary Processes & Environmental Exploitation Chapter 13: Makeup and Nature of Forests: Fire-adapted Species vs ‘Old Growth’ Chapter 14: Determining Fire History: Fire Scars, Fire Histories, and Thermal Alteration Chapter 15: Insects, Biomass Reduction, and Pesticides Chapter 16: Conclusion: Forests and the Future Man Part III: Cycles of Growth & Collapse versus the Possibility of Sustainable Societies Chapter 17: Introduction Chapter 18: The Problem of Population & the Nature of Human Society Chapter 19: Consumerism and Sustainability: Japan as an Example Chapter 20: The Evolution of Modern Japan and its Transformation Part IV: The Role of Ideology and Religious Precepts in the Containment and Change of Society: A Modernist View Chapter 21: The Credit Crisis of 2008 to 201? Chapter 22: Ideology and Religious Precepts and Motivations: Why People Work Chapter 23: Fundamentalism versus Globalism Part V: Conclusion Bibliography Index About the Author
