The Social Construction of Communities: Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest (Archaeology In Society) [Hardcover]

Mark D. Varien (Editor, Contributor), James M. Potter (Editor), James R. Allison (Contributor), Jeffrey J. Clark (Contributor), Michelle Hegmon (Contributor), J Brett Hill (Contributor), Kristen A. Kuckelman (Contributor), Patrick D. Lyons (Contributor), Tessie Naranjo (Contributor), Scott G. Ortman (Contributor), Timothy R. Pauketat (Contributor), Elizabeth M. Perry (Contributor), Susan C. Ryan (Contributor), Gregson Schachner (Contributor), James E. Snead (Contributor), Thomas D. Yoder (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0759110085 | ISBN-13: 978-0759110083

The Social Construction of Communities draws on archaeological research in the Southwest to examine how communities are created through social interaction. The archaeological record of the Southwest is important for its precise dating, exceptional preservation, large number of sites, and length of occupation--making it most intensively researched archaeological regions in the world. Taking advantage of that rich archaeological record, the contributors to this volume present case studies of the Mesa Verde, Rio Grande, Kayenta, Mogollon, and Hohokam regions. The result is an enhanced understanding of the ancient Southwest, a new appreciation for the ways in which humans construct communities and transform society, and an expanded theoretical discussion of the foundational concepts of modern social theory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The authors in The Social Construction of Communities raise the right questions as they attempt to break with the ecofunctionalist models of past decades. Southwest archaeologists will find the volume's substantive, synthetic discussions of recent research to be particularly useful. (Ruth Van Dyke )

Varien and Potter are to be congratulated on editing a volume that provides a substantial theoretical and methocological foundation for understanding how past communities were created and maintained in the American Southwest....this book is a must-add to the literature and an important addition to our understanding of the Chacoan world. (Journal Of Anthropological Research )

This volume is an admirable combination of social theory and substantive results that helps to redefine how archaeologists look at past communities. Although the case studies are from the U.S. Southwest, they have broad applicability to many archaeological regions and should serve as important sources for agency-oriented approaches in archaeology. (Mills, Barbara J. )

About the Author

Mark D. Varien is Director of Research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center and the author of Sedentism and Mobility in a Social Landscape: Mesa Verde and Beyond. James M. Potter is the Senior Scientist in Archaeology at SWCA, Inc and author of Prehistory In West Prescott, Arizona.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (August 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759110085
• ISBN-13: 978-0759110083
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)