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Economic Anthropology

Definition:
❖ Economic anthropology studies the social processes involved in the production, exchange, and consumption
of various kinds of objects. 'Objects' encompasses tangible items as well as the labour and services that
individuals perform for one another as well as less obvious objects (such as names, ideas, and so forth).

Figure: Explaining economic anthropology.

❖ Economic anthropology studies how human societies provide the material goods and services that make life
possible.
❖ Economic anthropology envisages the economic activities of primitive man in his social and cultural
framework. In other words, we can say that economic anthropology is an analysis of economic life as a sub-
system of societies.
❖ Firth (1951) is of the opinion that economic anthropology deals with social relations. Economy is an important
constituent of community-life and plays a deciding role in the formation of the cultural and social structure of
the societies.
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Economic Anthropology vs Economics:

Economics mainly addresses aspects of the market. They assisted scholars in analysing the role money plays in
society and its key drivers, including production, distribution, consumption, demand, and supply.
Economic anthropology concentrates on how society's social facets have evolved.
Classical Economics is normally concerned with problems of distribution because these dominate in industrialised
economies, anthropologists studying primitive and peasant societies are forced to pay more attention to small-scale
production.
Economic Anthropology deals with primitive and peasant societies in which the economy is organised differently
than what it is in an industrialised society. Thus, economic anthropologists have to re-examine the fundamental
notions which economists take for granted.
Economic systems are the methods societies and governments use to organise, allocate and distribute goods,
services and resources across locations.
Collaboration in Economics and Culture:
In recent time there has been—> growing collaboration between economic anthropologists and economists
❖ The Aim is to bridge the gap between understanding money and culture.
❖ They study the interplay of money and culture in the context of real-world economic challenges.
❖ The partnership allows anthropologists to learn economic modelling/ analysis from economists ( for example-
Supply-Demand analysis in anthropological context)
❖ The economists on the other hand gain insights into how culture influences economic behaviour.
❖ The interdisciplinary approach calls for a holistic study.
For Example - Study on Farming in a Tribal Community would not merely focus on—> Resource analysis and
Market dynamics —> but also the preference function of the local community and overall sustainability.
Economic Systems/Organisations:
Raymond Firth (1952) is of the opinion that "Economic organisation is a type of social action. It involves the
combination of various kinds of human services with one another and with goods in such a way that they serve the
given ends."
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Figure : Economic Organisation among Hazda tribe of Tanzania.

Ralph Piddington (1952) says "Economic system is designed to satisfy material wants of the people, to organise
production, to control distribution and to determine the rights and claims of ownership within the community."
Concept and meaning of the economic system with special reference to the tribals may be defined as the economic
system that may have two important things:
❖ The mode of production
❖ The structure of production
1. The mode of production:
➢ It implies the technique and organisation of economic activities relating to production
2. The structure of production:
➢ It means social relations in the performance of production activities and in the process of distribution
between different social groups of the tribal societies.
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Figure: Depicting mode and structure of production.

Primitive/Simple Economy Characteristics:
Simple Society:
❖ Refers to small-scale societies with relatively simple technology.
❖ Such societies are not only small in size but also their control over the environment is quite limited.
❖ With small-scale markets, their scope for specialisation in the division labour is restricted
Primitive/Simple Economy Characteristics:
According to Dalton (1971), there are three important characteristics the primitive economy:
1. Small Economy
2. Simple technology compared to the industrialised economies
3. Geographical or cultural Isolation (Comparatively)
Primitive/Simple Economy Characteristics:
Nine point framework has been given to illustrate the fundamental characteristics of the tribal economy:
1. Forest-based economy
2. Unit of production, consumption, and pattern of labour being the family
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3. Simple technology,
4. Absence of profit in economic dealings,
5. The community as a cooperative unit,
6. Gift and ceremonial exchange
7. Periodical markets
8. Interdependence
9. The minor institutions related to the tribal economy.
Contemporary primitive economics and economies of prehistoric times:
Contemporary primitive economics resembles prehistoric times, evident in various types of economic life:.
❖ Homogeneous communities: Men hunt, women collect (e.g.,Kadar, Chenchu, Kharia, Korwa tribes).
❖ Mixed communities: Hunters, trappers, agriculturists (e.g., Kamar, Baiga, Birhor tribes).
❖ Graded societies: Hunters, trappers, agriculturists, artisans (e.g., Chero, Agaria tribes).
❖ Herdsmen: Toda and some Bhil sections.
❖ Homogeneous hunters and herdsmen: Rare among Indian tribes.
❖ Ethnically stratified cattle-breeders and traders: Bhotiya in himalayan region.
❖ Socially graded herdsmen: Combine hunting, agriculture, and artisans.

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