As promised (although a little later than intended), here are a few questions that were discussed in class that tie together the subsistence, social org material from the last few weeks.
1. Why are states always agricultural societies? Please incorporate some of the characteristics of a “state” into your response.
2. Today’s pastoralists and horticulturalists are often associated with major ecological degradation like desertification and massive slash and burn of the Amazon rainforest. Are they inherently destructive and unsustainable forms of subsistence or is there something different about these modern examples that make them so?
These should help synthesize much of the material we covered and help you think about the big picture!