The Role of Culture in the Emergence of Complex Societies

9/20/02

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Table of Contents

Plenary Talk

The Role of Culture in the Emergence of Complex Societies

Introduction

Inadequacy of Classical Mathematical Modeling: Problem of Self-Modification

Explanatory Paradigm Physical Sciences

Explanatory Paradigm Biological Sciences

Explanatory Paradigm Cultural Framework

Three Paradigms for Modeling Evolution of Complex Societies 

Three Paradigms for Modeling Evolution of Complex Societies (cont’d)

Three Paradigms for Modeling Evolution of Complex Societies (cont’d)

Sequence of Societies

Groups of Individuals

Band society

Tribal Society (groups)

Tribal Society (lineages)

Tribal Society (political office)

Tribal Society (moieties)

Tribal Society (ritual)

Chiefdom (Simple)

Chiefdom (Complex)

State Structure (top down structure)

Shift from Simple to Complex Society

Simple Society

Complex Society

Shift from Simple to Complex Society

Kinship Identification and Calculation

Gao’s Calculation

Complexity of Genealogy compared to Simplification Achieved through a Kinship Terminology Structure

Culture as a Constructed Reality

Culture as a Conceptual Structure

Symbolic Structure (model)

Symbolic Structure (graph)

Comparison of Two Kinship Terminologies

Gao’s Calculation (model)

Calculation with Kin Terms

Definition: Kin Term Product

Kin Term Map for the American Kinship Terminology

Kin Term Map for the Shipibo Terminology

Simplification of Kin Term Map Removal of affines, structural equivalence

Construct a Semigroup Model

Isomorphism Between Reduced Kin Term Map and Generated Structure

Isomorphism Between AKT and Generated Structure

Predicted Kin Term Definitions

Explanatory Paradigm Cultural Framework

Instantiation of Abstract Symbols

Integration of Material and Ideational Levels

Dual Mental Processing System

Contention Resolved?

Author: Dwight W. Read 

Email: dread@anthro.ucla.edu

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