Carl Sauer and Cultural Evolution

Abstract

Time and change are basic concepts in Carl Sauer's cultural geography: how he used time and conceived change is the subject of this paper. I interpret his historical method in the context of reaction against turn-of-the-century theories of unilinear and providential cultural evolution in favor of cultural historical approaches. The roots of Sauer's anti-evolutionism are found in his early rejection of environmental determinism for an empiricist chorology of material culture traits and in his connection with contemporary anthropology. Anti-evolutionism, and an empiricist, chorological approach to geography are also characteristic of Sauer's mature work on culture change. A comparison of his geographical practice with evolutionary thinking suggests that his emphasis on material expressions of culture as objects of study encouraged genetic explanations of the products of culture change rather than theoretical explanations of evolutionary processes.

Key Words:

• Carl Sauer
• cultural evolution
• historical explanation