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The Influence of Market Integration on Escalating Inequality in Small-scale societies
Co-chaired by Mary Shenk, Tami Blumenfield and Siobhan Mattison

March 29 – 31, 2022 [Rescheduled]

The Influence of Market Integration on Escalating Inequality in Small-scale societies

This seminar tackles how and why social inequality is exacerbated by market integration. It brings together members of a National Science Foundation-funded international team composed of researchers in anthropology, demography, economics, and evolutionary biology from Bangladesh, China, and the United States to discuss ongoing analyses of detailed data collected in rural communities in Bangladesh and China which are undergoing rapid market transition from subsistence to market-based economies. In particular, members will share preliminary analyses of qualitative and quantitative data and early versions of edited interviews filmed in each field site to develop plans for publication in English, Bengali and Chinese venues, and to establish priorities for communicating research findings to local communities and relevant government units. The project explores key questions undergoing active debate within anthropology and has the potential to illuminate important questions about the origins, and consequences, of inequality in human society, across multiple scales.

Mary Shenk, Chair
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University

Tami Blumenfield, Chair
Assistant Professor, Department of Asian Studies, Furman University

Siobhan Mattison, Chair
Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico

Generous funding provided by the National Science Foundation