According to Julian Steward, the environment and the availability of resources has a definite influence on the form of social organization. This approach to studying cultural evolution, called , was exemplified nicely in his study of the social organization of the Shoshone during different seasons of the year.

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Julian Steward's approach is known as cultural ecology, which emphasizes the interaction between a society and the environment, including the availability of resources. This approach rejects the idea of environmental determinism, which suggests that the environment determines the form of social organization without considering human agency. Cultural materialism, on the other hand, emphasizes the role of technology and economic factors in shaping cultural evolution. Diffusion-evolution is a theoretical approach that emphasizes the role of cultural diffusion in shaping cultural change.

According to Julian Steward, the Environment and the Availability of Resources