Modern Material Culture: The Archaeology of Us (Studies in Archaeology) [Hardcover]

Richard A. Gould (Editor), Michael B. Schiffer (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 347 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1St Edition edition (June 11, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0122935802
• ISBN-13: 978-0122935800
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,596,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Material Culture, October 21, 2006

By 

cortezhill - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Modern Material Culture: The Archaeology of Us (Studies in Archaeology) (Hardcover)

Modern Material Culture is concerned with the nature of archaeological reasoning. Its approach is one of observing contemporary human behavior as a theoretically self-conscious archaeologist might, with the aim of testing and extending generalizations derived from contemporary data to encompass both past and present human activities. The volume is based on the idea that direct observations and experimenting often reveal unexpected aspects of human behavior. Particular case studies serve as a foundation for presenting more general, cross cultural kinds of relationships that also apply to the prehistoric past.

The essays fall into four general categories:
* Those dealing explicitly with the theory and teaching of the modern material-culture approach
* case studies from different segments of American life that demontrate the application of this approach. (These studies form the core of the volume and posit general statements about human behavior in relation to materials as varied as coins, herbs, graffiti, and fences, and topics ranging from mortuary practices to recycling of goods.)
* those that present the role of experimental methods in modern material-culture studies
* papres that bridge the gap between traditional areas of interest in archaeology - such as stone toolmaking and Egyptology - and the modern material-culture approach.

Modern Material Culture will interst students and scholars in anthropology, archaeology, geography, sociology, and American studies.
--- from book's dustjacket