Julian H. Steward

Julian H. Steward was an American anthropologist known for developing Cultural Ecology, a way to understand how human societies adapt to their environments. He believed that the way people live—like their food sources, shelter, and social structures—is shaped by the natural resources available to them. Steward emphasized studying cultures as systems that evolve based on environmental needs and constraints, rather than seeing culture as static or purely driven by human genius. His work helped explain how different societies develop unique customs and technologies in response to their specific ecological surroundings.