Marxist Anthropology and American Materialism Term Paper

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Marx posits that a social revolution shall become the people's response to this class conflict, wherein a new system of society (dominated by the proletariat) will emerge (Lusteck, 2001).

In the context of anthropology, Marxist theory is best applied in studying the culture of the modern, capitalist society. Anthropology seeks to identify social classes that emerge within the capitalist system and determine how these classes interact with each other. Furthermore, identifying and understanding the culture of each class is also essential to identify, in order for social scientists to learn how conflict emerges what characteristics of each class's culture ultimately determines who will be the oppressor and the oppressed. The dialectic relationship between these two general classes that Marx identifies in his theory is the most distinct feature studied in Marxist anthropology.

Deriving from Marx's technique of historical materialism, the paradigm of American materialism in anthropology looks distinctly into the principles of "cultural materialism, cultural evolution, and cultural ecology" (Smith, 2001). These principles reflect the primary unit of analysis used in this paradigm: culture as depicted through human being's artifacts and produced materials.

What makes American materialism more deterministic than Marxist anthropology is that the former takes into context the experience and history of American culture as its main focus.

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Cultural materialism looks into processes and behaviors associated with the use of resources available to the people. Cultural evolution marks the changes that occur within a community, wherein a "transformation" of the processes, behavior, or the resource itself takes place. Lastly, cultural ecology emphasizes on the vital role that external influences (such as society) play in influencing the essential factors that make up a particular culture. These principles are reflective of the kind of cultural evolution that takes place in America at present, wherein "consumer culture" has largely determined the kind of values and behavior Americans have adapted to in the last century as a result of the dominance of the capitalist economic system in the country.

It is evident that between Marxist anthropology and American materialism, the latter is more deterministic in illustrating culture as it applies to the study of anthropology. However, it is also important to note that American materialism emerged and was derived from Marxist anthropology; thus, these paradigms discusses culture within a similar perspective.

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