Hamilton M. Stapell, Ph.D., presenting at the Ancestral Health Symposium 2012 (AHS12)

Ancestral Health in Historical Context: From Physical Culture to the Primal Life

Abstract:
In the belief that the Ancestral Health movement is at its core interdisciplinary, this presentation explores the development of the movement from the perspective of the Humanities, particularly from the discipline of History. The current paleo/primal movement is typically understood as a recent phenomenon, originating with Boyd Eaton's 1985 landmark paper, "Paleolithic Nutrition. A Consideration of Its Nature and Current Implications."

However, a similar movement swept the United States and Europe more than 100 years ago. Evidence from late nineteenth and early twentieth century sources -- including those from philosophy, literature, art, and the popular press -- demonstrates the application of Darwin's new theory of evolution to the health problems of the time.

Fearing the deleterious effects of mass urbanization and industrialization, proponents of the "physical culture" movement offered many familiar 'paleo' recommendations: the consumption of whole foods, periodic fasting, outdoor exercise, weight training, drugless medical treatments, and exposure to sunlight. And, similar to today, these early physical culturalists were often branded as "kooks" by the medical establishment and mainstream society.

The central argument of this presentation is that physical culture movement of 100 years ago and the paleo/primal movement of today are both responses rapid societal change, namely to the industrial revolution and the digital revolution respectively.

Bio:
Hamilton M. Stapell, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of History at SUNY New Paltz and co-author of "Walking the Walk to Teach the Talk: Implementing Ancestral Lifestyle Strategies as the Newest Tool in Evolutionary Studies" (in EEO). He is also creator of one of the first college-level courses on ancestral living.