Description
Book SynopsisThe 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 occupationmaking 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.
Trade ReviewThe 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, Colorado College
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. -- Barbara J. Mills, University of Arizona
Table of ContentsChapter 1. The Social Production of Communities: Structure, Agency, and Identity Part 2 Part I. Identity Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Space, Houses, and Bodies: Identity Construction and Destruction in Early Pueblo Villages Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Exchanging Identities: Early Pueblo I Red Ware Exchange and Identity North of the San Juan River Chapter 5 Chapter 4. Constructing Community and Transforming Identity at Albert Porter Pueblo Part 6 Part II. Agency and the Individual Chapter 7 Chapter 5. Agency and Gender in Prehispanic Pueblo Communities Chapter 8 Chapter 6. An Agent-Centered Case Study of the Depopulation of Sand Canyon Pueblo Part 9 Part III. Place and Landscape Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Agency, Place, and Space in the Castle Rock Communities Chapter 11 Chapter 8. History, Place, and Social Power in the Galisteo Basin, A.D. 1250-1325 Part 12 Part IV. Migration, Settlement, and Community Organization Chapter 13 Chapter 9. Imagining Communities in the Cibola Past Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Demography, Agricultural Potential, and Identity among Ancient Immigrants Part 15 Part V. Social Theory and Southwestern Communities Chapter 16 Chapter 11. Structure and Agency in Southwest Archaeology Chapter 17 Chapter 12. The Grounds for Agency in Southwest Archaeology Chapter 18 Chapter 13. Life as Movement: A Tewa View of Community and Identity
