Robert L. Carneiro

Robert Leonard Carneiro ( born June 4, 1927 in New York City ) is an American anthropologist.

Life

Carneiro studied in Michigan political science and anthropology.

Anthropological Fieldwork

Carneiro research in central Brazil, eastern Peru and southern Venezuela.

Carneiros state formation theory

Carneiro has developed in his essay " A Theory of the Origin of the State" a counter-model for conquest and subjugation theory: his theory of natural boundaries ( Circumscription Theory) is based on the assumption that in case of conquest, the underdog usually other to a flee place; as an example, he cites the Amazon Indians. Only if there were natural boundaries ( desert, mountains, sea ), stay the losing group at the place of defeat.

Under these conditions will Carneiro the state in the way that it came with a growing population to dispute over the scarce land and as a village trying to conquer and subjugate the neighboring village. Thus it came to the creation of state authority; this was the case for example in Egypt.

At Carneiros theory is especially criticized that there is no scientific proof that conquering peasant peoples have subjected other peoples Bauer permanently; Instead, Bauer would kill the conquered peoples and use the land for own operation.

In addition, argued that there were numerous instances in which narrow geographical limits have not led to the emergence of state power. Also, it is questionable whether his starting point, after which the Amazonian Indians had formed no state because of " geographical immensity ," is not based on a later ( observation ) situation in which the population had been decimated by disease and colonization - while for the previously larger population quite geographical boundaries were appreciable, that it has come to the emergence of states.

Work (selection)

• A Theory of the Origin of the State, Science Vol 169, August 21, 1970, p 733-738.
• The Muse of History and the Science of Culture. New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, 2000.
• Compilation of other works on the private site Carneiros, accessed on December 17, 2010.