description The Original Affluent Society Overview
"The Original Affluent Society" is an essay by American anthropologist Marshall Sahlins, first presented in 1966 and later published in his 1972 book "Stone Age Economics." The essay challenges the standard narrative that early hunter-gatherer societies lived in a state of constant starvation and extreme toil. Instead, Sahlins argues that these societies were affluent because their material wants were easily satisfied with relatively limited labor. The work is a staple in anthropological studies, challenging traditional economic assumptions about scarcity.
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What is Marshall Sahlins's main argument in The Original Affluent Society?
In his 1966 essay, anthropologist Marshall Sahlins argued that hunter-gatherer societies worked very limited hours but successfully met all their basic needs. He challenged the prevailing modern assumption that early human lives were defined by a constant, desperate struggle for survival.
When was The Original Affluent Society first published?
Marshall Sahlins first presented this essay at the 1966 "Man the Hunter" symposium. It was later expanded and published in his 1972 book, "Stone Age Economics."
How did The Original Affluent Society change economic anthropology?
Sahlins coined the term to flip the narrative on "primitive" societies, suggesting they were actually the original affluent society because their desires were easily met by nature. This 1966 theory fundamentally challenged Western ideas of wealth and scarcity.
Did Marshall Sahlins believe hunter-gatherers worked more hours than modern humans?
No, his 1966 essay argued the exact opposite, claiming that many hunter-gatherer societies spent far fewer hours working than modern industrial humans. He used field data to show that limited labor was sufficient to sustain these communities.
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