Circumscription theory

The circumscription theory is a theory of the role of warfare in state formation in political anthropology, created by anthropologist Robert Carneiro. The theory has been summarized in one sentence by Schacht: “In areas of circumscribed agricultural land, population pressure led to warfare that resulted in the evolution of the state”.[1][2] The more circumscribed an agricultural area is, Carneiro argues, the sooner it politically unifies.

  1. ^ Schacht, Robert M., “Circumscription Theory: A Critical Review,” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 439, March/April 1988.
  2. ^ Graber, Robert B., and Paul Roscoe, “Introduction: Circumscription and the Evolution of Society,” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 406, March/April 1988.

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