WHAT IS THE FIVE POINT FRAMEWORK?
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Diamond's framework addresses five variables that influence societal collapse. These variables include of: environmental damage, climate change, relations with hostile neighbors, relations with friendly neighbors and a society's response to environmental, political, social and economic problems.
For more information on the factors in Diamond's framework and our mechanisms, please click here. |
Why Societies Collapse By: Jared Diamond
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OUR CLAIM
We believe that Diamond's framework provides an unbiased approach to collapse. We have examined six cases of societal collapse that have not yet been scrutinized under Diamond's model. The six societies that we have examined under Diamond's framework are of varying time periods and structures; these societies are: The Olmec, Classical Greece, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Inca and Yugoslavia.
Audience
Our audience are college students interested in learning about societal collapse and Diamond's model.
Audience
Our audience are college students interested in learning about societal collapse and Diamond's model.
Jared Diamond
"Collapse is a drastic decrease in human population numbers and/or in political, economic or social complexity" (Diamond, 3). |
WHO IS JARED DIAMOND?Jared Diamond is a geography professor at the University of California, Los Angeles whose interests include writing books about human societies, and promoting sustainable environmental policies.
He has published more than six hundred articles, six books and has co-edited one book. His book Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) was even awarded the Pulitzer Prize. In one of his six books, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2006), he discusses his famous five point framework [1]. |
BACKGROUND
Regarding the five point framework, Diamond emphasizes that each factor has a varying degree of influence on a society; for example, environmental damage may affect a society more in relation to collapse than relations with hostile neighbors. He is also very careful to point out that environmental damage is not always a major factor in societal collapse; other social or political factors may influence collapse in a greater manner. Diamond, however, argues that the last factor (a society's response to environmental, social, political and economic problems) is one of the most important factors regarding collapse.
IMPORTANCE
Diamond has been successful in his definition of collapse because it is simplified for the general audience to understand. Diamond’s framework, however, may be too simplistic to apply to all societies and is not sufficient enough to define and account for all the variables that may have contributed to the collapse of these societies. This research looks at different case studies that show the general population that collapse is not uniform throughout every past societal collapse.
In order to understand collapse, it is important to look at the multi-causal effects that show that collapse is a highly complex process. By understanding the collapse of these societies we can also find potential indicators of future collapse. In archaeology, collapse is not a definite predictor of the future, however it gives perspective and our own understanding of not only collapse but of socioeconomic, cultural, environmental and political history. Collapse is complex and is not always the complete depletion of a society, but rather, can be a shift and rebirth of a society who transform themselves through resilience.
In order to understand collapse, it is important to look at the multi-causal effects that show that collapse is a highly complex process. By understanding the collapse of these societies we can also find potential indicators of future collapse. In archaeology, collapse is not a definite predictor of the future, however it gives perspective and our own understanding of not only collapse but of socioeconomic, cultural, environmental and political history. Collapse is complex and is not always the complete depletion of a society, but rather, can be a shift and rebirth of a society who transform themselves through resilience.
ABOUT US
We are a group of students attending the University of Texas at Arlington. We are studying collapse and sustainability this semester. We have analyzed societal collapse by looking at six different past societies and applying them to Jared Diamond's five-point framework.
