The systems-hierarchical paradigm is a model which gives one approach to the organization of anthropological data. It is useful in determining the types of sociopolitical organization found in different groups of people. It can be used to explain the adaptive systems which various groups utilize to function within their environments. The systems-hierarchical paradigm shows how policy decisions, and production are intertwined together with the physical environment in which the group lives. The systems-hierarchical paradigm consists of the physical environment as a given and then looks at how the society's infrastructure, structure, and superstructure are arranged upon the given environment.
At the base of the systems-hierarchical model is the physical environment where a society lives. The physical environment consists of the plant and animal life found locally and within the domain of the group. This includes wild animals, domesticated livestock, native flora and horticulturally grown plants. These physical inputs determine a base level of resources for production for the society. The group's population is dependent on the level which these resources can be utilized for sustenance and trade. Environments which are poor in biomass, generally cannot support a large population.
The environment a society lives in dictates the maximum population which can be sustained. Geographical areas with little to offer agriculturally or through hunting and gathering are unable to support a stratified society. The systems-hierarchical paradigm shows this. The physical environment influences the society's choices of modes of production, their settlement patterns, and the modes of reproduction. The society's infrastructure is determined by options offered by the physical location of the group.
The infrastructure of a society consists of their mode of production, their settlement pattern, and their mode of reproduction. The mode...