Eislers Cultural evolution and evolutionary theory
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history 1789 to present
presentation
published 10/09/2008
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level : General public
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Riane Eislers The Chalice and the Blade, published in 1988, presents a new theory of human cultural evolution, as well as a new vision of reconstructed history. Eisler draws from archaeological discoveries made in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as from mythology and contemporary feminist re-interpretations of earlier archaeological discoveries and mythology. She develops an idea of cultural evolution based on the chaos theory, which provides the rubric for her understanding of systems change. She calls her idea Cultural Transformation Theory. It is based in basic biological principles and presents ideas about the ways in which humans have interacted with their environment over time. Her study is an interesting one for environmental archaeology as a science because it challenges the prevailing cultural theories in the field.
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- Dena Dincauze's defination of archaeology and its branch of environmental archaeology.
- Understanding Eisler's theory of cultural evolution within the context of environmental archaeology.
- Eisler's moves to describe a shift in cultural values.
- Eisler's 'Cultural Transformation Theory?.
- The culture vs. environment debate in environmental archaeology.
