Towards the Recognition of Convergent Cultural Adaptation in the Subantarctic Zone [with Comments and Replies]

Why is the phrase “other things being equal” used when one generalizes, is developing causal arguments, or is engaged in theory building?

“…These locations have been described (Sutton 1982) as sharing a large number of distinctive properties none of which justified the cases as being classified as having "Complex" socio-cultural systems. A common feature across the locations considered was that there was an annual rotational exploitation of different species generally obtained at slightly different locations with generally direct consumption of each in turn.…”

Archaeology, history and the uttermost ends of the earth – Tasmania, Tierra del Fuego and the Cape

“…Therefore it is still necessary when we all thought cultural evolutionism and race theory were as dead as dodos, to counter, as Yesner (1990) has recently done, claims of devolution (Sutton 1982) in aspects of Tierra del Fuegan culture and society. The paper which follows by Piana et al also addresses the inadequacy of such explanations based on the old notions of lingering primitivism and cornering of Fuegian societies by their northerly neighbours.…”

Where Does the South Begin? Social Variability at the Southern Top of the World

“…Scholars have argued that these southernmost areas share a number of important social development characteristics (Allen 1979;Jones 1975;McCartney 1974McCartney , 1975Sutton and Marshall 1980;Sutton 1982; Yesner 1980Yesner , 1990Yesner , 2004. The idea of Subantarctic human adaptation is usually confused with human action in cold-water coastal environments.…”

“…It has been assumed that the lack of "capability" for developing complex technology for long-range resource acquisition (fi shing, hunting, and gathering) was the factor that would render many possible subsistence sources "inaccessible." This economic framework would result in "episodic hunger," generally low regional population density, and a lack of permanent settlements (Steager 1963;Sutton 1982;Sutton and Marshall 1980; against this hypothesis, Anderson 1981).…”

“…The mobile nature of the dispersed population was conducive to a very low level of political elaboration and hence of social stratifi cation, ritual, art, etc. (Sutton 1982).…”