Reader in Archaeological Theory: Post-Processual and Cognitive Approaches (Routledge Readers in Archaeology) [Paperback]

David S. Whitley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0415141605 | ISBN-13: 978-0415141604 | Edition: 1

This Reader in Archaeological Theory presents sixteen articles of key theoretical significance, in a format which makes this notoriously complex area easier for students to understand.
This volume:
* provides an intellectual history of different approaches to archaeology which contextualizes the complex traditions of cognitive archaeology and postprocessualism on which it focuses
* organizes theories of archaeology, the meanings of things, the prehistoric mind and cognition, gender, ideology and social theory and archaeology's relationship to today's society and politics
* includes lucid section introductions to each section which provide context, explain why the papers are so significant and summarize their key points
* emphasizes research from the 'New World', making archaeological theory especially relevant and accessible to students in North America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Whitley has selected a fine series of articles to demonstrate both the range and the limitations of postprocessual archaeology, and he provides an excellent introduction to each section of the volume. Although this book will be of greatest interest to specialists and students of archaeology, much of the book's content is accessible to nonarchaeologists. In fact, it might be a good volume to scan for those who still somehow believe that archaeology is just digging for treasure from the past. Certainly, readers will come away with an understanding that archaeology needs to be both scientific and humanistic.
–The Key Reporter

David Whitley has assembled a very fine guide to the ideas that are changing archaeology. This book shows that we have surmounted the limitations of the new archaeology by presenting a colorful variety of new and older scholars who contribute to understanding mind and meaning from past cultures..
–Mark Leone, University of Maryland, USA

About the Author

David S. Whitley is the US representative of ICOMOS and lectures at UCLA. He is an internationally acclaimned expert on rock art, on which he has published widely.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (May 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415141605
• ISBN-13: 978-0415141604
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,720,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I decided to become an archaeologist when I was three years old, and determined that I would study cave paintings (rock art) when I was 12. No one told me, at the time, that rock art was an ignored topic in American archaeology (I have wondered, ever since, whether that was an appropriate age to make a major career decision). Regardless of cause, I primarily write about prehistoric art and religion, which I find harder to study, and consequently much more interesting, than the standard archaeological topics of tool technology and diet. We may be what we eat (as the saying goes), but it makes for boring conversation--and not terribly compelling archaeological research either, in my opinion.

The point of departure in my studies is the rock art of far western North America. My understanding of this art primarily derives from Native American ethnography--anthropological accounts of tribal religions and practices. Though the deep prehistoric past certainly differed from historical conditions, ethnographic descriptions provide us with the best models for reconstructing the prehistoric unknown. In my latest book, CAVE PAINTINGS AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT, I've used this understanding as a springboard for examining the ultimate origin of art and religion.

I live near Tehachapi, California, in a forest of blue oak trees. When I'm not working or writing, I ride my faithful old ranch horse, Twelve,through the mountains. It's the best way to think.