How did the cultural materialism approach develop?

Cultural materialism is an approach to understanding culture that emphasizes the material conditions of life—such as economic factors, environmental influences, and technological resources—as the primary drivers of cultural practices and social structures. This approach was largely developed by anthropologist Marvin Harris in the 1960s and 1970s. It built upon earlier materialist theories, but Harris refined and expanded these ideas, seeking to understand how material conditions shape social systems, belief structures, and cultural norms.

Key points in the development of cultural materialism:

1. Historical Materialism (Marxism): Harris was influenced by Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism, which posits that the material conditions of life (such as economy and class structure) shape society’s organization, politics, and culture. Marx’s focus was on how economic factors influenced social and ideological systems. Harris extended this to anthropology, applying it to cultural phenomena.
2. Critique of Idealism: Harris and other cultural materialists critiqued the more idealist approaches to anthropology, which emphasized ideas, beliefs, and values as the main drivers of culture. For example, functionalism, which was dominant in anthropology at the time, often emphasized how cultural practices and beliefs served to maintain the stability of society, rather than focusing on the material basis of these practices.
3. Technological and Economic Determinism: Harris argued that human culture is ultimately shaped by the practical requirements of survival, which are determined by the availability of resources and the technological capacity to exploit those resources. He believed that the way people adapt to their environment, economically and technologically, forms the basis for the rest of their cultural practices, including religious beliefs and social structures.
4. The Three-Level Model: Harris proposed a three-level framework to explain culture:
   • Infrastructure: The material conditions of existence, including the environment, technology, and economy.
   • Structure: The social organization, including family structures, political institutions, and social hierarchies.
   • Superstructure: The ideological and symbolic aspects of culture, including religion, art, and belief systems.
   Harris argued that the infrastructure directly influences the structure, which in turn shapes the superstructure.
5. Empirical Research: Harris and his followers focused on empirical research to demonstrate how material factors influence cultural practices. They examined real-world examples, such as the dietary habits of different societies or the role of environmental factors in shaping religious beliefs.
6. Cultural Evolution: Cultural materialists also believed in cultural evolution, suggesting that societies evolve through adaptive processes based on material conditions. As new technologies or economic systems emerge, cultures adapt and change in response.