ANTH 307/ Ecological Anthropology
Midterm Study Guide
Spring 2013/Minnesota State University Moorhead
Dr. Roberts

In addition to class notes and the videos shown in class, you are also responsible for the content of the readings as assigned on the syllabus: Bates chapters 1-6, Fratkin's ethnography of the Ariaal, and the hyperlinked readings from the online version of the class syllabus.  Just because I did not cover a topic in lecture does not mean it can't be on the exam.  As stated on the syllabus the midterm exam will be given on March 7th and it will be comprised of a combination of multiple-choice, true-false, matching, and essay. Please note that your review of Ariaal Pastoralists of Kenya is due the same day as the midterm.

Theory and Major Concepts

• Bates' Chapter 1 lays the groundwork for the remainder of the book. Please make sure you read it thoroughly even if you've had anthropology classes before and think you everything. You don't, and neither do I. While Bates may seem redundant he is VERY clear about his particular view of culture. You should pay particular attention to his discussion of "aspects of culture."   
• Utilizing lecture notes as well as the on-line readings you should be able to distinguish the most important features of the following perspectives on human-environmental interrelations:
  • environmental determinism
  • possibilism
  • cultural ecology
  • systems ecology
  • ethnoecology
  • evolutionary ecology
  • political ecology.
• Be especially familiar with Julian Steward's cruical role in the development of ecological anthropology.
• Be aware of how Roy Rappaport's book Pigs for the Ancestors fits into ecological anthropology and why it was so important at the time it was published.
• Bates' Chapter 2 covers a number of important concepts for ecological anthropology and I expect you to be familiar with them. This includes the following:    
  • What is ecology and what role does the concept adaptation play?
  • Be able to differentiate between the concepts of environment and ecosystem.
  • Be able to differentiate between the concepts of habitat and niche.
  • What is the concept carrying capacity used for and why is it always more difficult to establish with regard to humans?
  • How does Bates distinguish between stability and resilience as properties of ecosystems?
• Be familiar with the basic classificatory scheme of procurement systems that Bates introduces in his second chapter.
• Read: Bates Ch 1. Video: The Koyas. Read: The Koya (2 parts)
• Read: Marquette: Cultural Ecology; McGrath:  Ecological Anthropology; Development of Ecological Anthropology

• Read: Bates Ch 2; Greenberg and Park: Political Ecology. SFAA: About Environmental Anthropology.

• Video clips: Cultural ecology of Chilote Barter. The Water of Words: A Cultural Ecology of an Eastern Indonesian Island Audio clip: Toilet Tales: China

Foraging

• What can be said about the role of foraging in human (pre)history? What caveats (warnings) need to be carefully considered before we try to extrapolate backward in time from contemporary foragers to the Paleolithic?
• Be familiar with the general characteristics of foraging societies identified in class and in Bates' textbook.
• Be familiar with the specifics of the ethnographic examples of foragers that Bates provides - i. e., the Dobe Ju/'hoansi, Inuit, and Batak. Think about both similarities and differences.
• Read: Bates Ch 3; Patterns of Subsistence: Foraging. Video: Video: The Kwegu. (3 min clip only). Video: A Kalahari Family (9 min clip). Video: Inuit Knowledge & Climate Change (2 min clip). [Full video (54 min) but only if you're really interested]. Video: Canada's Inuit battle High Suicide Rates (2 min clip)

Horticulture

• What are some possible reasons why humans may have developed agriculture? Where did these processes of domestication and cultivation take place?
• What does Bates say is the objective of any form of agriculture?
• In an anthropological sense, what is horticulture and where is it typically found today?
• What kinds of techniques/methods distinguish horticulture from other forms of cultivation?
• What are the key aspects of social organization found in horticultural societies?
• Be familiar with the specifics of the three ethnographic examples of horticulturalists that Bates provides - i.e., the Pueblo and Yanomamo. Think about both similarities and differences.
• Read: Bates Ch 4; Patterns of Subsistence: Horticulture. Read: Ancestral Pueblo Agriculture. Video: The Samanthas (31 min). Read The Samantha. Video clip: The Feast (7 min preview clip)

Pastoralism

• What is pastoralism? Where is it normally practiced and why? 
• What kinds of management practices/techniques do pastoralists commonly employ in making a living?
• What are some common elements of the social organization of pastoral societies? (Hint - do not just memorize a list of traits: be familiar with how these principles function and how this relates to a pastoral lifestyle).
• What kinds of new challenges do pastoralists confront today and how are these factors changing the nature of their societies?
• Be familiar with the specifics of the three ethnographic examples of pastoralists that Bates provides - i.e., the Ariaal of Kenya and the Yoruk of Turkey. Think about both similarities and differences.
• Think about some of the similarities and differences between the procurement systems of foraging, horticulture, and pastoralism.
• Read: Bates Ch 5; Patterns of Subsistence: Pastoralism.  Video: Keepers of the Genes. Also see Keepers of the Genes: The interdependence between pastoralists, breeds, access to the commons,and livelihoods (PDF document). Video: Maasai Land, Restricted Area

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