Society in Prehistory: The Origins of Human Culture - Hardcover

Megarry, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333311183 ISBN 13: 9780333311189

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 1995

Synopsis

Since the 1960s, advances made in the disciplines concerned with prehistory have led to our view of human evolution and the forces that have shaped the cultural foundations of modern humanity. It is now possible to make a reconstruction of the physical and behavioural characteristics that lay behind the social life of pre-human ancestors as much as two million years ago. The text introduces the evidence to a wider audience and argues that human evolution and human status are only intelligible through an interaction of biological and social factors. The significance and relevance of prehistory to the social sciences is a major theme of the study.

About this title

Review:

Social scientists have tended to neglect prehistory in their approach to human societies. Tim Megarry's lucid and authoritative book remedies this neglect. It examines the interaction of the formation of human societies and biological evolution, and offers an excellent account of the revolution in our understanding of human origins in recent decades. It will be of great value to students of anthropology, psychology and sociology.' - Paul Hirst, Professor of Social Theory, Birkbeck College, University of London

'I am very impressed. It is not only very well done, but coming from someone with a background in sociology, it is written from a novel point of view. It shows a profound understanding of evolutionary biology and an excellent, up-to-date knowledge of human evolution studies. It needs to be very widely read and I hope that it will be. The author is doing his subject a great service.' - Bernard Campbell, Professor of Anthropology, University of California

From the Back Cover:

Since the 1960s, spectacular advances have been made in the study of prehistory. It is now possible to reconstruct the behavior and social life of pre-human ancestors as much as two million years ago. These findings have forced us to revise dramatically our view of human evolution, the study of which is only complete through an integrated perspective that emphasizes biological and social factors. Archaeology, primate studies, genetics, palaeontology, hunter-gatherer studies, and anthropology have all contributed to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of human origins, necessitating an approach to prehistory that is not tied to a particularly disciplinary approach. Stressing the importance of culture as a formative agent in the evolutionary emergence of modern humans, Society in Prehistory provides an impressive, interdisciplinary, and deeply informed survey of prehistory. Individual chapters focus on culture and evolution; biology and culture; primate societies; the first hominids; tools and culture; the economics of foraging; modern humans and human behavior; sex and the division of labor; and sexuality and social life. The book reveals that, while social behavior is biologically grounded, it is not biologically determined.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0333311183
• ISBN 13: 9780333311189
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416