Description
Book SynopsisRecent archaeological research on California includes a greater diversity of models and approaches to the region’s past, as older literature on the subject struggles to stay relevant. This comprehensive volume offers an in-depth look at the most recent theoretical and empirical developments in the field including key controversies relevant to the Golden State: coastal colonization, impacts of comets and drought cycles, systems of power, Polynesian contacts, and the role of indigenous peoples in the research process, among others. With a specific emphasis on those aspects of California’s past that resonate with the state’s modern cultural identity, the editors and contributors—all leading figures in California archaeology—seek a new understanding of the myth and mystique of the Golden State.
Trade Review"Jones and Perry present an overview of archaeology in the state of California. Given its size and location, including extensive coastline and high mountains, the state has long been known for its exceptional cultural diversity. Dealing with this has put California archaeology in the forefront of the development of Americanist archaeology in general. Not surprisingly, there are more registered professional archaeologists in California than in any state of the US. Stemming from a symposium held at the 76th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, the volume presents 19 articles, plus introduction and conclusions, which cover different facets of the state's rich archaeological background and history of fieldwork. Most importantly, each topical article includes an extensive and current bibliography, most important for professional readers. For college and university libraries with undergraduate and graduate programs in archaeology; general readers will find it interesting, though stiff going. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries." --CHOICE
Table of ContentsPreface; Part I Origins, Environment, and Ecology; Chapter 1 The Archaeology of a Goodly Ilande, Terry L. Jones, Jennifer E. Perry; Chapter 2 A Land by the Sea: An Ocean View of California Archaeology, Jon M. Erlandson; Chapter 3 A Land Impacted? The Younger Dryas Boundary Event in California, Terry L. Jones, Douglas J. Kennett; Chapter 4 A Land of Diversity: Genetic Insights into Ancestral Origins, John R. Johnson, Brian M. Kemp, Cara Monroe, Joseph G. Lorenz; Chapter 5 A Land of Many people: population Dynamics as Context and Catalyst, Kathleen L. Hull; Chapter 6 A Land of Many Seasons:A Land of Work: Foraging Behavior and ecology, Brian F. Codding, Douglas W. Bird, Terry L. Jones; Chapter 8 A Land of Prestige, William R. Hildebrandt, Kelly R. McGuire; Chapter 9 A Land of Fire: Anthropogenic Burning on the Central Coast of California, Rob Q. Cuthrell, Chuck Striplen, Mark Hylkema, Kent G. Lightfoot; Part II Social Dimensions of the Past; Chapter 10 A Land of Power: The Materiality of Wealth, Knowledge, Authority, and the Supernatural, Lynn H. Gamble; Chapter 11 A Land of Violence, Mark W. Allen; Chapter 12 A Land Visited: Reviewing the Case for polynesian Contact in Southern California, Terry L. Jones, Kathryn A. Klar; Chapter 13 A Land of Style: A Quantitative and Cultural Transmission Approach to Understanding Coso Rock Art, Jelmer W. Eerkens, Rebecca Dinkel, Carol Ormsbee; Chapter 14 A Land of Vision and Dreams, David S. Whitley, Tamara K. Whitley; Chapter 15 A Land of Boundaries and Networks, David W. Robinson, Michelle Wienhold, Wendy Whitby; Chapter 16 A Land of Many Genders, Sandra E. Hollimon, Daniel F. Murley; Chapter 17 A Land of Ethnogenesis: Material Culture, power, and Identity, Barbara L. Voss; Chapter 18 A Land of Cultural pluralism: Case Studies from California’s Colonial Frontier, Tsim D. Schneider, Sara L. Gonzalez, Kent G. Lightfoot, Lee M. Panich, Matthew A. Russell; Chapter 19 A Land of Inequality: Structure, Agency, and the Archaeology of African Americans, Adrian Praetzellis, Mary Praetzellis; Chapter 20 A Land of Many Archaeologists: Archaeology with Native Californians, Desireé Reneé Martinez; Chapter 21 Conclusion: A Land of Many Perspectives, Jennifer E. Perry, Terry L. Jones;
