What does 'economic anthropology' focus on?

Economic anthropology primarily examines how economic practices and systems are influenced by cultural factors and social dynamics. This field seeks to understand how people in different societies interpret and organize their economic activities based on cultural context, norms, and values. By analyzing economic behavior through a cultural lens, economists and anthropologists can reveal how economic systems are not just structures of exchange, but are deeply embedded within social relations and cultural meanings.

The other options, while related, do not capture the essence of what economic anthropology fundamentally studies. For instance, focusing solely on economic theories overlooks the cultural context in which these theories are applied. Similarly, while comparative studies of economic systems can be part of economic anthropology, the discipline's emphasis is on the culturally situated nature of these systems rather than on comparing them in isolation. Lastly, the study of personal finance management is quite specific and does not encompass the broader cultural analysis of economic practices that economic anthropology aims to achieve.