Ideology, 'History of Religions' and Hunter-Gatherer Studies Export

@article{citeulike:1862365, abstract = {Hunter-gatherer studies - particularly the work of the Bushman 'traditionalists' - have sought the rhetorical high ground by emphasizing techno-economic factors in human life at the expense of 'ideology'. Yet this itself exemplifies an ideology. Indeed, much of hunter gatherer theory conforms to mythical structures unearthed by students of comparative religion, most notably Eliade. These structures contrast markedly with the mostly demythologized approach of Boas and his first generation of students, particularly in their confrontation with the 'social evolutionism' of Morgan. The article argues that there are similarities among Victorian social theory, hunter-gatherer studies and the world's religions, and that the first two have meta-empirical components usually attributed to the third.}, author = {Shapiro, Warren}, citeulike-article-id = {1862365}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/3034158}, journal = {The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute}, keywords = {archaeology, ritual, rock-art, theory}, number = {3}, pages = {489--510}, posted-at = {2007-11-04 00:37:42}, priority = {2}, title = {Ideology, 'History of Religions' and Hunter-Gatherer Studies}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/3034158}, volume = {4}, year = {1998} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1862365 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1862365 N2 - Hunter-gatherer studies - particularly the work of the Bushman 'traditionalists' - have sought the rhetorical high ground by emphasizing techno-economic factors in human life at the expense of 'ideology'. Yet this itself exemplifies an ideology. Indeed, much of hunter gatherer theory conforms to mythical structures unearthed by students of comparative religion, most notably Eliade. These structures contrast markedly with the mostly demythologized approach of Boas and his first generation of students, particularly in their confrontation with the 'social evolutionism' of Morgan. The article argues that there are similarities among Victorian social theory, hunter-gatherer studies and the world's religions, and that the first two have meta-empirical components usually attributed to the third. IS - 3 JF - The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute EP - 510 TI - Ideology, 'History of Religions' and Hunter-Gatherer Studies VL - 4 SP - 489 KW - archaeology KW - ritual KW - rock-art KW - theory AU - Shapiro, Warren PY - 1998/// UR - http://www.jstor.org/stable/3034158 ER -