Why did political ecology challenge the idea that premodern societies existed in environmental equilibrium?

Political ecology challenged the notion that premodern societies existed in environmental equilibrium by criticizing the tendency to portray these societies as timeless and existing outside of history.1

While earlier approaches in ecological anthropology—such as those exemplified by Roy Rappaport’s study of the Tsembaga Maring—often suggested that premodern human-environment systems were closely regulated by complex feedback mechanisms to maintain a balance below carrying capacity, political ecology rejected this equilibrium-centered view. By positioning these societies within their historical contexts rather than viewing them as static, political ecology highlights the dynamic and often transformative nature of human-environment interactions over time.1