Description
Book SynopsisMany students view archaeological theory as a subject distinct from field research. This division is reinforced by the way theory is taught, often in stand-alone courses that focus more on logic and reasoning than on the application of ideas to fieldwork. Divorcing thought from action does not convey how archaeologists go about understanding the past.
This book bridges the gap between theory and practice by looking in detail at how the authors and their colleagues used theory to interpret what they found while conducting research in northwest Honduras. This is not a linear narrative. Rather, the book highlights the open-ended nature of archaeological investigations in which theories guide research whose findings may challenge these initial interpretations and lead in unexpected directions. Pursuing those novel investigations requires new theories that are themselves subject to refutation by newly gathered data. The central case study is the writers' work in Honduras. The inte
Trade Review
I have used a number of different books when teaching archaeological theory, and have found my students learn the material better when I use Archaeological Theory in Practice. Urban and Schortman make theory accessible to students in two complementary ways. First, they provide examples of how archaeologists may approach the same evidence (Stonehenge or the Southern Mesopotamian State) from different theoretical perspectives, highlighting differences in their questions, methods and interpretations. Second, through the in-depth example of their own long-term research in the Naco Valley, Urban and Schortman provide valuable insights into how their theoretical perspective, and methodological approaches, evolved through time as more data were collected. Students especially appreciate hearing about the practical decisions and challenges the authors faced along the way. Their insights are superbly and concisely summarized in the final chapter of the book.
Kristine Bovy, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Rhode Island
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Chapter 1: Explanation, Theory, and the Social Sciences
Chapter 2: The Naco Valley and Us
Chapter 3: Culture History
Chapter 4: Processualism
Chapter 5: Marxism I: Trade and Power
Chapter 6: Marxism II: Prestige Goods Theory
Chapter 7: Practicing Power over Time
Chapter 8: Identity
Chapter 9: Looking at Meaning: Semiotics
Chapter 10: Phenomenology and Experience
Chapter 11: New Materiality
Chapter 12: Taking on the State in Southern Mesopotamia
Chapter 13: Multiple Views of Stonehenge
Chapter 14: Conclusions
Suggested Readings
Index
