Now in a revised and updated second edition, this volume provides an authoritative account of the current status of archaeological theory, as presented by some of its major exponents and innovators over recent decades. It summarizes the latest developments in the field and looks to its future, exploring some of the cutting-edge ideas at the forefront of the discipline.The volume captures the diversity of contemporary archaeological theory. Some authors argue for an approach close to the natural sciences, others for an engagement with cultural debate about representation of the past. Some minimize the relevance of culture to societal change, while others see it as central; some focus on the contingent and the local, others on long-term evolution. While few practitioners in theoretical archaeology would today argue for a unified disciplinary approach, the authors in this volume increasingly see links and convergences between their perspectives.The volume also reflects archaeology's new openness to external influences, as well as the desire to contribute to wider debates. The contributors examine ways in which archaeological evidence contributes to theories of evolutionary psychology, as well as to the social sciences in general, where theories of social relationships, agency, landscape and identity are informed by the long-term perspective of archaeology.The new edition of Archaeological Theory Today will continue to be essential reading for students and scholars in archaeology and in the social sciences more generally.
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* Revised and updated edition of a highly successful text on theoretical approaches to archaeology. * Brings together some of the major exponents and innovators in the discipline to introduce their individual areas of specialism.
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List of Figures and Tables List of Contributors 1 Introduction: Contemporary Theoretical Debate in Archaeology Ian Hodder 2 Darwinian Cultural Evolution Stephen Shennan 3 Human Behavioral Ecology Douglas W. Bird and James F. O'Connell 4 Behavioral Archaeology Vincent M. LaMotta 5 Complex Systems and Archaeology Timothy A. Kohler 6 Towards a Cognitive Archaeology: Material Engagement and the Early Development of Society Colin Renfrew 7 Agency: A Revisionist Account John C. Barrett 8 Archaeologies of Place and Landscape Julian Thomas 9 Materiality Carl Knappett 10 Symmetrical Archaeology Bjørnar Olsen 11 The Social Life of Heritage Lynn Meskell 12 Post-Colonial Archaeology Chris Gosden 13 Archaeology and Indigenous Collaboration Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh 14 Archaeological visualisation: early artefact illustration and the birth of the archaeological image Stephanie Moser Index
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"A crucial addition to contemporary debates in social sciences. The way different methodological issues  are discussed, as well as the dialogue between different contributors serve as an exemplary way of promoting scholarship  of the highest standard." Social Anthropology "In Archaeological Theory Today, Ian Hodder has assembled a fine collection of papers that, taken together, present a vibrant and exciting overview of current theoretical trends. Reading this volume, one is struck not just by the diversity of archaeological theory today, but by its breadth, depth, and sheer intellectual vitality. This book is not just an overview of current thinking, but an eloquent statement of the importance of archaeology as a modern human science." Matthew Johnson, Northwestern University "Archaeology has changed dramatically since the early 1980s. It is more inclusive, more holistic, and more relevant to the modern world. These changes are the product of the interplay of internal debates about epistemology and external discussions regarding social and political factors in the context of knowledge production. This new edition interrogates standard assumptions underlying such oppositions as culture and agency, matter and materiality, individual and society, colonial power and indigenous resistance, and, in the process, offers exciting new ways forward." Robert W. Preucel, University of Pennsylvania "In this new edition, valuable chapters on cognition/symbolism, agency, landscape, and post-colonial archaeology are revised and carried on from the first edition. New chapters on materiality, behavioral ecology, complex systems, heritage, and indigenous knowledge (among others) are added. The new ATT admirably takes the pulse of major and progressive trends in social theory by leading archaeologists." Norman Yoffee, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780745653075
Publisert
2012-02-21
Utgave
2. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Polity Press
Vekt
562 gr
Høyde
226 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
25 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
320

Forfatter

Biographical note

Ian Hodder is Dunlevie Family Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University.