The Archaeology of Social Boundaries

Miriam T. Stark

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English

Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press
26 May 2015

Social & cultural history; Archaeology; Ethnic studies; Impact of science & technology on society

Mapping the boundaries between ancient societies through studies of ""ethnicity,"" migration, or economic systems is of perennial interest to archaeologists, who typically have taken two divergent approaches. North American archaeologists have studies formal variation in the style of finished products, while the French tradition, exploring links between cognition and technical choice, has focused on how variation occurs during the manufacturing process.

Fourteen contributors examine an array of media -- from ceramics and personal ornaments to architecture and site structure -- in small-scale societies and apply methods from both sides of the Atlantic to explore how technical choices made in the creation of everyday objects can both reflect and define social boundaries. In chapters on pre-historic and historic societies that range from North America to Africa to Oceania, the authors suggest that variation in technical systems corresponds more closely than stylistic variation does to the boundaries between groups. They also address the question of whether modern concepts of ethnicity can be translated into archaeological terms.

The Archaeology of Social Boundaries demonstrates that the search for social boundaries in material culture patterning can benefit from the study of both technological and stylistic qualities. By uniting two disparate intellectual traditions, this book contributes to a growing archaeological theory of material culture.

Edited by: Miriam T. Stark
Imprint: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 519g
ISBN: 9781935623786
ISBN 10: 1935623788
Pages: 382
Publication Date: 26 May 2015
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Miriam T. Stark is an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Hawai'i.