Regions Based on Social Structure

摘要: Boas argued that anthropologists should make historical comparisons within well-defined regional contexts. A century later, we have many improvements in the statistical methodologies for comparative research, yet most of our constructs remain without a valid empirical basis. We present new method developing and testing regions. The takes into account older anthropological concerns with relationships between culture history environment, embodied culture-area concept, as well contemporary linkages societies world systems. develop nine regions based on social structural data test them using 351 societies. compare Murdock's find classification is strong improvement over Murdock's. In so doing obtain evidence cross-cultural importance gender descent systems, constraint upon sociocultural two precapitalist strikingly different geographical alignments cultural systems Old World Americas. © 1996 by Wenner-Gren Foundation Anthropological Research. All rights reserved.