A materialist analysis of culture — in other words, an exploration of the influence of material things on cultural phenomena. Materialist analysis is inspired by Marx, who insisted on the im [..]

A macro-social theory that attempts to account for the similarities and differences between sociocultural systems by focusing on the environmental constraints to which human action is subject.

The theory that practical/material/economic factors can explain some or all cultural phenomena.

Is a theoretical approach in Cultural Anthropology that explores and examines culture as a reflection or product of material conditions in a society. Cultural materialism is a variation on basic materialist approaches to understanding culture. The Anthropologist Marvin Harris is a famous representative.

the theory, espoused by Marvin Harris, that ideas, values, and religious beliefs are the means or products of adaptation to environmental conditions ("material constraints").

The theory of Marvin Harris that distinguishes emic from etic perspectives and mental from behavioural domains, and that advocates infrastructural determinism.