Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
An anthropological approach that studies human cultures through a Thoreauvian lens: emphasising simplicity, relationship to nature, resistance to state and market, and the value of local, small‑scale societies. It draws on Thoreau’s appreciation of Indigenous ways of living and his critique of “improvement” that destroys meaning. Thoreauvian anthropology is wary of grand narratives of progress and instead attends to how people create meaningful lives with limited resources, often outside formal institutions.
Text fits
Save
Cancel