Archaeological Theory Today

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.

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.

List of Figures and TablesList of Contributors1 Introduction: Contemporary Theoretical Debate inArchaeologyIan Hodder2 Darwinian Cultural EvolutionStephen Shennan3 Human Behavioral EcologyDouglas W. Bird and James F. O'Connell4 Behavioral ArchaeologyVincent M. LaMotta5 Complex Systems and ArchaeologyTimothy A. Kohler6 Towards a Cognitive Archaeology: Material Engagement and theEarly Development of SocietyColin Renfrew7 Agency: A Revisionist AccountJohn C. Barrett8 Archaeologies of Place and LandscapeJulian Thomas9 MaterialityCarl Knappett10 Symmetrical ArchaeologyBjørnar Olsen11 The Social Life of HeritageLynn Meskell12 Post-Colonial ArchaeologyChris Gosden13 Archaeology and Indigenous CollaborationChip Colwell-Chanthaphonh14 Archaeological visualisation: early artefact illustration andthe birth of the archaeological imageStephanie MoserIndex