The foraging spectrum cover

The foraging spectrum

by Robert L. Kelly

Because most of humanity's time as a species has been spent in a hunting-and-gathering subsistence mode, living hunter-gatherers have always played a pivotal role in interpretations of pre-history and anthropological theory. It is widely believed that "human nature" can be seen more clearly at this "stage" than at any other. Challenging this preconception, Robert L. Kelly crafts a new theoretical position by emphasizing the diversity among hunter-gatherer societies - a diversity that belies attempts to establish a single model of a predominant or "original" foraging lifeway. Kelly reviews the anthropological literature for the differences among ethnographically known hunter-gatherers. By considering the actual, not imagined, reasons behind diverse behavior, The Foraging Spectrum argues for a revision of many archaeological models of prehistory. Written for archaeologists and ethnologists outside the field of hunter-gatherer research, it stresses explaining, rather than explaining away, variability.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?