[4] It was published in 1973 by University of Michigan Press as Nomads and Farmers: A Study of the Yörük of Southeastern Turkey.
Much of his early research focused on nomadic groups in Turkey and West Asia,[6] including adaptive culture, intergroup exchange, systems of pastoralism,[7] and marriage patterns among the Yörük.
[10] In 1976, Bates was invited by Susan H. Lees to co-edit the journal Human Ecology, after Andrew P. Vayda retired from the role.
[11] That year, he also Bates co-authored Anthropology: Decisions, adaptation, and evolution with Fred Plog and Clifford J.
[4] Bates co-authored Human Adaptive Strategies An Ecological Introduction to Anthropology (2023) with Judith Tucker and Ludomir Lozny.