Making and Unmaking Egalitarianism in Small-Scale Human Societies

Authors

Christopher von Rueden, University of RichmondFollow

DOI

10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.07.037

Abstract

Humans have likely spent the vast majority of our history as a species in relatively egalitarian, small-scale societies. This does not mean humans are by nature egalitarian. Rather, the ecological and demographic conditions common to small-scale societies favored the suppression of steep, dominance-based hierarchy and incentivized relatively shallow, prestige-based hierarchy. Shifts in ecological and demographic conditions, particularly with the spread of agriculture, weakened constraints on coercion.

Document Type

Post-print Article

Publication Date

6-2020

Comments

Refer to Dr. Christopher von Rueden's website for further information.

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd.

DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.07.037

The definitive version is available at:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X19301174?via%3Dihub

Full Citation:

von Rueden, Christopher R. “Making and Unmaking Egalitarianism in Small-Scale Human Societies.” Current Opinion in Psychology 33 (June 2020): 167–171. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.07.037.

Recommended Citation

von Rueden, Christopher R. “Making and Unmaking Egalitarianism in Small-Scale Human Societies.” Current Opinion in Psychology 33 (June 2020): 167–171. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.07.037.