ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is organized around three themes: nature as a cultural concept, the implications for the nature-culture distinction of studies of the relations between specific domesticates and human populations, and the continuing plausibility of the idea of cultural adaptation to the environment. The first is concerned with the negotiable character of the nature-culture dichotomy, and seeks to examine approaches to understanding it which go beyond conventional unreflexive assumptions. The second theme builds on the observation that particular species of domesticated plants and animals have evolved through mutual interaction with human populations, and focuses on the various cultural strategies involved. The third theme focuses on the extent to which it is possible to speak of culture and society as 'reflecting', 'influencing', 'managing', 'regulating', 'controlling' and adapting to environmental relations.
