Rate My Professor Marshall Sahlins

A leading figure in Anthropology, Sahlins focused on the history and ethnography of South Pacific communities, particularly in Hawaii and Fiji, investigating indigenous political structures, kinship systems, and conceptions of nature. He critiqued sociobiology and emphasized cultural factors in human behavior, economy, and history, advocating for indigenous modes of thought. Key publications include Social Stratification in Polynesia (1958), Moala: Culture and Nature on a Fijian Island (1962), Stone Age Economics (1972), Culture and Practical Reason (1976), Islands of History (1985), How “Natives” Think: About Captain Cook, For Example (1995), Culture in Practice (2000), What Kinship Is—And Is Not (2012), and The Western Illusion of Human Nature (2008). With 19 books and over 100 articles, he influenced the anthropology of history, economy, and culture, notably through debates like his exchange with Gananath Obeyesekere. Honors include two Gordon J. Laing Awards (1977, 1997), a Guggenheim Fellowship, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2011), memberships in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the British Academy, and eight honorary doctorates. Sahlins originated the teach-in during Vietnam War protests.