Confirming Carneiro:  Resource Scarcity and Pre-Modern Warfare

Laura D. Young,

Authors

Laura D. Young,

Keywords:

resource scarcity, conflict, war, circumscription theory, carneiro

Abstract

In 1970, Robert Carneiro introduced a theory called circumscription. The theory suggests exposure to certain environmental conditions is the main determinant for conflict in the premodern era. Well-received in some circles, others scrutinized whether the theory was as capable as it claimed (See, for instance, the symposium published by American Behavioral Scientist 31:4 March/April). Though disagreement remains as to whether Carneiro's theory retains any merit, the results of empirical tests of his theory, more often than not, fall in his favor (Carneiro 1988; See also Deflem 1999). This paper adds to those empirical results and confirms environmental conditions play a role in the presence or absence of war.

Downloads

How to Cite

Confirming Carneiro: Resource Scarcity and Pre-Modern Warfare. (2023). Global Journal of Human-Social Science, 23(F1), 7-22. https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/103651

Download Citation

References

Jean-Noël Biraben, Jean-Noel Biraben (1979) Essai sur l'évolution du nombre des hommes. 34(1), 13.

Lester Brown (1995) Who Will Feed China? Wake-up Call for a Small Planet.

Robert Carneiro (1968) Ascertaining, Testing, and Interpreting Sequences of Cultural Development. 24(4), 354-374.

Robert Carneiro (1970) A Theory of the Origin of the State. 169(3947), 733-738.

Robert Carneiro (1988) The Circumscription Theory. 31(4), 497-511.

Napoleon Chagnon (1968) Unknown Title. 3.

Colin Clark (1977) Population Growth and Land Use.

Cioffi-Revilla Claudio (1996) Origins and Evolution of War and Politics. 40(1).

George Cowgill (1975) On Causes and Consequences of Ancient and Modern Population Changes¹. 77(3), 505-525.

Mathieu Deflem (1999) Warfare, Political Leadership, and State Formation: The Case of the Zulu Kingdom, 1808-1879. 38(4), 371-391.

Jared Diamond (1999) Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Society.

John Durand (1976) Historical Estimates of World Population: An Evaluation. 3(3), 253.

Coert Geldenhuys (1993) THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT. 171(1), 66-66.

(2002) Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment.

Francis Fukuyama (2011) The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution.

Garrett Hardin (1968) The Tragedy of the Commons. 162, 1243.

Jeffrey Herbst (2000) States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control.

Lawrence Keely (1996) War Before Civilization.

George Kohn (2000) Dictionary of Wars.

Kirsten Krumhardt (2011) Methodology for Worldwide Population Estimates: 1000 BCE to 1850.

Colin Mcevedy, Richard Jones (1979) Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones, Atlas of world population history, Harmondsworth, Middx., Penguin Books, 1978, 8vo, pp. 368, illus., £1.75 (paperback).. 23(2), 242-242.

John Mearsheimer (2001) The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. John Mearsheimer. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001. 555 pp. $27.95. 44(3), 150-151.

Robert Schacht (1988) Circumscription Theory. 31(4), 438-448.

Amartya Sen (1994) Population: Delusion and Reality.

David Singer (1979) The Correlates of War project: continuity, diversity, and convergence (1976). 141-149.

David Sinor (1990) The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia.

Ronald Tammen, Jacek Kugler, Douglas Lemke, Carole Alsharabati, Brian Efird, A Organski (2000) Power Transitions: Strategies for the 21 st Century.

Charles Tilly (1975) The Formation of National States in Western Europe.

(1992) Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD. 990-1992.

Kenneth Waltz (1979) Theory of International Politics.

Robert Wenke (1999) Patterns In Pre-History. 275-283.

Laura Young (2022) Testing Tilly: Does War Really Make States?. 21(1), 65-89.