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Description: Archaeology is a neglected field of study in eastern India. However, the area from Arunachal to Orissa and Bihar covers a very large chunk of the subcontinent and is also along its most distinctive cultural areas. From this point of view the establishment of a new archaeological research institute, Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, in Calcutta by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Bengal, is a welcome development. In September 1996 the author who possesses a grassroots familiarity with the issues facing archaeological research in this region delivered a number of lectures at the invitation of this institute. The purpose of these lectures was to assess the current status of archaeological knowledge about east India and highlight some of its research priorities. The picture has been portrayed as objectively as possible and may help in the planning of archaeological research in this part of India.
Description: The theoretical issues which have been considered in the present volume are the changing perspectives in Indian archaeology, diffusion an explanatory model, archaeology-literature correlation, geographical approaches, the study of prehistory, transition to foodproduction and urbanisation, agriculture, metallurgy and trade. The author's discussion of these issues (done in a course of eight seminars under the auspices of Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris) is both stimulating and original, and constitutes a significant addition to the south Asian archaeological literature.
Legal and economic factors have thrust American archaeology into a period of intellectual and methodological unrest. Issues such as reburial and repatriation, land and resource 'ownership,' and the integration of tradition and science have long divided archaeologists and Native American communities. Both groups recognize the need for a dramatic transformation of the discipline into one that appeals to and serves the greater public. This book tackles these and other issues by elucidating successful strategies for collaboration. It includes detailed discussions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), enacted in 1990 in effort to legislatively redefine ownership of cultural items. Perspectives range from Native American representatives from tribes throughout the U.S., professional archaeologists and anthropologists working for tribes, federal and state agency representatives, museum specialists, and private archaeology and anthropology consultants. Published in cooperation with the Society for American Archaeology.
What is the role of neo-Darwinian evolution in explaining variation in prehistoric behavior? Evolutionary Archaeology, a collection of nine papers from a variety of contributors, is the first book-length treatment of the evolutionists' position. All archaeologists, and especially those with a specific interest in method and theory, will find much here to challenge traditional theory, solidify the evolutionists' position, and stir further debate. Evolutionary archaeologists argue that Darwinian natural selection acts on human behavior, resulting in the persistence of alternative human behaviors and the material products of those behaviors. The contributors address the methodological requirements of evolutionary theory as it may apply to the nature of archaeological data. Several contributors evaluate the methodological implications of basic evolutionary principles, including the structure of explanations, the units of evolution and analysis, and the measurement of information transmission. Others explore the role of specific analytic approaches such as seriation, raw material sourcing, and comparative and engineering analyses. Still others confront the issue of reformulating archaeological problems from the point of view of evolutionary theory. By focusing on the methodological requirements of evolutionary theory, these essays go far in meeting the challenge of building new archaeological method. The work contributes to a better understanding of cultural evolution and builds toward a new, logical framework to explain variation in the archaeological record.
The Routledge Handbook of the Archaeology of Indigenous-Colonial Interaction in the Americas brings together scholars from across the hemisphere to examine how archaeology can highlight the myriad ways that Indigenous people have negotiated colonial systems from the fifteenth century through to today. The contributions offer a comprehensive look at where the archaeology of colonialism has been and where it is heading. Geographically diverse case studies highlight longstanding theoretical and methodological issues as well as emerging topics in the field. The organization of chapters by key issues and topics, rather than by geography, fosters exploration of the commonalities and contrasts between historical contingencies and scholarly interpretations. Throughout the volume, Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors grapple with the continued colonial nature of archaeology and highlight Native perspectives on the potential of using archaeology to remember and tell colonial histories. This volume is the ideal starting point for students interested in how archaeology can illuminate Indigenous agency in colonial settings. Professionals, including academic and cultural resource management archaeologists, will find it a convenient reference for a range of topics related to the archaeology of colonialism in the Americas.
This volume emphasizes one aspect of scientific method: units of measure and their construction as applied to archaeology. Attributes, artifact classes, locational designations, temporal periods, sampling universes, culture stages, and geographic regions are all examples of constructed units.
Contributed papers presented at a workshop held during November 11-16, 2002 and sponsored by Unesco and co-sponsored by Mountain Research Initiative, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
A focal study of the methodological changes that confront historians of pre-colonial India.