Economy of production

A theory of household labor organization and material reuse

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4243079
AutoresMaureen S Meyers (0000-0001-9415-506X, Stone Mountain Technologies (United States), autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen12
Número1
Fecha de publicación2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEconomic Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2330-4847 • E-ISSN: 2330-4847
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sea2.12320
OpenAlexW4394854889
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas58

Household economic studies of preindustrial societies have overlooked one very specific and common material aspect: thrift. This article introduces a theory of economic production for household analysis that focuses on the economic use of materials, space, and labor. This framework is especially integral to understanding emergence of hierarchies. In emerging hierarchies, craft production at the household level can play a key part in the accumulation of power because the scale and type of craft production are moderated by the availability and abundance of material, space, and labor. Control of craft production can mean control of material, space, and labor, and thrifty control can increase production; this is key to emerging economies, particularly those located in a frontier area. Because women are often most associated with household labor, examining cultural definitions of thrift and waste provides a more complete understanding of household gender relations and reframes the importance of women's labor. Using an example from a 14th-century Mississippian frontier site in Virginia, I show that women engaged in craft production and that by using materials, space, and labor economically, they increased their power over time. An economy of production theoretical perspective highlights a significant factor, thrift, in household organization and agency

Business · Economics · Industrial organization · Labour economics · Microeconomics · Production theory · Reuse · Waste management · Engineering · Political Economy and Marxism