Final answer:
Anthropologists define economic activity as the system through which societies meet their material needs, influenced by cultural values and power relations. Non-industrial societies engage in subsistence modes like gathering and pastoralism, whereas industrialized societies focus on mechanization and market-driven economies. The key contrasts lie in relationships to the environment, social structures, and dynamics of consumption.
Step-by-step explanation:
For an anthropologist, economic activity is a broad term that encompasses how societies meet material needs and want. This includes the production and distribution of goods, services, and information within a system influenced by social values, meanings, and power relations. Anthropologists study economic systems as they pertain to the interdependence of humans and nature, showing special concern for sustainability and environmental implications. In non-industrial societies, economic activities are often integrated within the environment and involve direct modes of subsistence such as gathering-hunting, pastoralism, and plant cultivation. These societies typically exhibit diverse, human-centered systems of production and exchange. In contrast, industrialized societies rely on fossil-fuel-driven mechanization, mass production, and global markets. Capital plays a central role, and economies are market-driven with individuals often acting as self-interested, rational entities. This approach leads to different social structures, power dynamics, and issues like postindustrial hyperconsumption.