Ecological-Evolutionary Theory: Principles and Applications

For forty years, in a variety of books and articles, Gerhard Lenski has become the most influential proponent of ecological and evolutionary explanations of human societies, their development and transformations, from the Stone Age to the present. In his newest book, Lenski offers a succinct but comprehensive statement of the full body of his theory followed by demonstration of how it can be used to generate new and valuable insights when applied to a set of highly diverse issues. These include debates concerning the origin of ancient Israel and its distinctive culture, the rise of the West in the modern era, the highly varied trajectories of development of Third World nations in recent decades, and the failure of Marxist efforts to transform society in the Soviet Union and elsewhere. In the concluding chapter, Lenski discusses a number of other issues and areas where ecological-evolutionary theory may be fruitfully applied in the future.

For several decades, sociologist Gerhard Lenski (emeritus, U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) has argued for ecological and evolutionary explanations of the development and transformation of human societies. In the first part of this text for advanced students and practitioners, he offers a systematic and comprehensive summary of his ecological-evolutionary theory. In the second section, he applies the theory to the analysis of specific situations, ranging from the founding of ancient Israel to recent (failed) experiments in Marxism. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Gerhard Lenski, is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of Ecological-Evolutionary Theory (Paradigm 2006). He is a recipient of the ASA's Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award.