the influence of extensive agriculture on the study of sociopolitical organization and the interpretation of history

Abstract

In low–density societies on the African savannas, subsistence agriculture is centered on women in the domestic domain, is not directly linked to the political economy, and has been an essentially passive force in sociopolitical history. This is relevant for understanding sex roles and the development of social and political anthropology, and for evaluating popular materialist and political biases in the interpretation of history and evolution.