Evolution of Egalitarianism and its Anthropological Understanding
* Egalitarianism, the evolution of. By Cathryn Townsend. The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2018. [1]
URL = https://www.academia.edu/29417676/Egalitarianism_the_evolution_of
Description
"Theory on the evolution of egalitarianism and its relevance to anthropology is described in three sections. The first section carefully defines and delimits usage of the term egalitarianism in anthropology, outlines the form of social organization empirically observed in egalitarian societies, and clarifies the difference between egalitarian and acephalous societies. The second section describes multidisciplinary perspectives on the egalitarian disposition and behaviors found in humans, and how these contrast with those of nonhuman primates. Theories on how these behaviors and dispositions may have evolved are summarized. Finally, the roles of gender relations, sexual reproduction strategies, and cooperative breeding are mentioned in relation to the theory on the evolution of egalitarianism."