Marvin Harris

Marvin Harris was a prominent American anthropologist known for developing the research strategy of cultural materialism. He sought to explain cultural practices and human behavior through ecological and material causation rather than purely ideological reasons.

Cultural materialism is an anthropological framework that argues that technological and economic aspects of society are the primary drivers of cultural change. Harris posited that material conditions, rather than ideas or values, ultimately shape human practices.

In his work, Harris explained the Hindu taboo against slaughtering cattle through material and ecological reasons. He argued that live cows were far more valuable to the agricultural economy for traction, fuel, and milk than they were as meat.

Marvin Harris wrote several highly influential and accessible books on anthropology, including works that detailed his theories on cultural materialism. These texts popularized his ideas on how material conditions drive human cultures worldwide.