University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1986 Infanticide in human groups Diane Olsen The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Olsen, Diane, "Infanticide in human groups" (1986). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7994. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7994 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976 Th is is an unpublished m a n u s c r ip t in which co pyrig ht sub ­ s i s t s . Any further r e p r in t in g of it s contents must be approved BY THE AUTHOR. MANSFIELD L ibrary U n iv e r s it y of Montana D a t e : ________1 9 8_ O Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In fa n tic id e in Human Groups By Diane Olsen B.A., University of Montana, 1974 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts University of Montana 1986 Approved by: Chairman, Boardnjf txamfners Dean, Graduate School /.r2 , y j} ( ■ Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP38795 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI* Oisssrtation f^blishing UMI EP38795 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code uest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Olsen, Diane, M.A., March 1986 Anthropology Infanticide in Human Groups (86 pp.) Director: Chariine G. Smith The focus of this paper is to discern whether cross-cultural data better support the notion that infanticide, direct and indirect (abandonment, abuse, and neglect), and abortion are prim arily demographic functions of environmental resource pressures or c u ltu ra lly sanctioned custom requiring parental selection under various social circumstances, or both. The word "prim arily" is used because there are many motives for abortion and infanticide. What I had hoped to find was a leaning toward one cause or the other within the available literature. Selected data from the Human Resources Area Files (H.R.A.F.) have been placed on maps in an appendix for reference. In addition to the maps, there are two basic groupings of data, a historical and a regional overview, and a brief summation and discussion of some of the popular assessments of human infanticide by various theorists. Once the historical and theoretical aspects (taken with the H.R.A.F. information) are reviewed, there appears to be a strong bias toward c u ltu ra lly induced and sanctioned custom as a predominant theme rather than acute or chronic environmental resource pressure promulgated by various theorists. It is possible, however, that in many instances the practices of infanticide, both direct and indirect, as well as abortion, may be cultural vestiges of these pressures. There are, of course, some cases in which group or fam ily survival seem to be paramount. These "survival" cases (in a strict sense) are comparatively few, which came as a surprise. It seems as if the practice of infanticide and abortion occurred wherever it was socially acceptable, under prescribed circumstances, and did not often occur where i t was prohibited or where incentives (emotional or otherwise) were greater for keeping babies alive. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT........................................ ü TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................ i ü CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 Descriptive Statement ..................................................................................... 1 H istorical Overview ......................................................................................... 1 Regional Overview....................................................................................................... 5 Biblical References...................................................................................................5 Greco-Roman Law and Literature ................................................................... 7 Japan of the Eighteenth Century.........................................................................14 Anglo-American Tradition and Law ................................................................. 16 R u s s ia............................................................................................................................29 C h i n a ........................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY............................................................................................ 38 CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................. 40 Wynne-Edwards................................................................................................. 40 Rassmussen .................................................................................................42 B o a z ................................................................................................................................42 Denham........................................................................................................................... 44 F re e m a n.......................................................................................................................46 B a lik c i ............................................................................................................................49 Schrire and Steiger.................................................................................................50 Divale and Harris ..................................................................................................... 52 N e e....................................................................... l ^4 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Page Batten.............................................................................................................................. 55 F r y ....................................................................................................... 58 H a w k e s..........................................................................................................................58 D o u g las ..........................................................................................................................62 C o w lin s h a w .................................................................................................................67 D u r a n d .................................................................................................................... 71 E n g e l......................................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................... 73 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................... 76 MAPS .................................................................................................................................. 83 MAP I: NORTH AMERICA....................................................................................... 84 MAP I I : SOUTH AMERICA..................................................................................... 85 MAP III: AFRICA .............................................................................................. 86 MAP IV: EURASIA ............................................................................................ 87 MAP V: OCEANIA............................................................................................. 88 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Descriptive Statement In fa n tic id e in human groups takes place in several forms: f e t i ­ cide, infanticide at or right after birth, and indirect infanticide which takes place sometime la te r in the form of gross abuse and/or neglect. As will be seen,