Bio-Anthropology Job Search Lecture

Dr. Christopher von Rueden“The Behavioral Ecology of Male Status Hierarchy Among The Tsimane Forager-Horticulturalists Of Bolivia”Male status hierarchies are a human universal. Even in small-scale, egalitarian societies, where food- and labor-sharing is extensive and decision-making is typically based on consensus, status differentials exist beyond those due to age and sex alone. Understanding male status acquisition in small-scale societies is critical to understanding the evolution of men’s social and reproductive strategies. Among the Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia, I describe how men acquire political influence and analyze the effects of influence on men’s reproduction and health. I also assess whether characteristics of Tsimane villages affect the distribution of influence among village residents. Tsimane villages differ in terms of size and access to the market economy, and this heterogeneity provides a unique opportunity to test theories of the emergence of more institutionalized status hierarchy across human history.Christopher von Rueden is a Post-Doctoral Scholar and Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. He received his PhD in Anthropology from UCSB in 2011. He studies male social staus in small-scale human societies, focusing on the Tsimane. His research investigates how status is acquired over the life course, the reproductive and health consequences of strategy, and the effects of socio-ecological change on status inequality.

When 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Location Biology (5 Cummington), BRB 113