Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture

Rating:
Summary: A categorial view of Cultural Materialism
Review: The struggle for a science of culture represents a lenthy contention, as to whether or not culture is a infrastructure or simply a superstructure. The empirical approach used in Harris's work, avoids the realm of philosophy and the abiding law of society, which however is presented as a fact of matter. The contention between the survival of the fittest and the early need to develop agricultural society, the human need not to inter marry were, in fact the effect of a culture in motion. The materialization of culture as a container of human activity opposed to the idea of culture being the sum of the contents obsures the reality; that both coexist and do represent as stated in book, the true Dilectical relationship. Harris's view while I feel is a honest reflection of culture and science does not apply its conclusions to the dominance of the struggle by men to dominant women in society. Cultural materialism does recognize the exploitation of people as the category of change demanded by society and not these shifts in the mode of production.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most important books of the 20th Century
Review: This book will eventually be recognized as one of the most important of the 20th Century - but not until the 21st Century. In spite of what the previous reviewer said, it does indeed deal with male supremacy - and Cultural Materialism's explanation for male dominance is something that feminists should learn and understand, if they want to do something to end male supremacy.