Your essay must be:
• No more than 5 double-spaced pages of text
• 12-point font
• 1.25-inch margins
• In the text, please cite sources for facts or interpretations by other authors, for example (Lee 1993: p 33).
• NO COVER PAGE please
Marshal Sahlins and The Original Affluent Society
In the essay The Original Affluent Society (first published in 1968), Marshal Sahlins argues that traditional ideas about hunter-gatherers are wrong and that hunter-gatherers were actually the original affluent society, even though they lack material wealth. Eleven years later, Richard Lee published the book, The Dobe Ju/’hoansi.
Does Richard Lee’s book support Sahlins’ claims that:
(1)Traditional ideas about hunter-gatherers are incorrect;
– What specifically are the traditional ideas about hunter-gatherers and what were Sahlins’ criticisms of those ideas?
– Does The Dobe Ju/’hoansi support Salhins?
(2)Hunter-gatherers were actually the original affluent society.
– Does The Dobe Ju/’hoansi support Salhins’ claims about hunter-gatherers, in regard to workload, leisure time, nutrition, health, and abundance?
– Were the Dobe ! Ju/’hoansi affluent?
Your essay should present a clear thesis that summarizes your argument, and your argument should address both of these claims. Use specific examples from the The Dobe Ju/’hoani and The Original Affluent Society texts to support your argument.
