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Archaeology

The Discipline of Things

Michael Shanks author Bjørnar Olsen author Timothy Webmoor author Christopher Witmore author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:30th Nov '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Archaeology cover

Archaeology has always been marked by its particular care, obligation, and loyalty to things. While archaeologists may not share similar perspectives or practices, they find common ground in their concern for objects monumental and mundane. This book considers the myriad ways that archaeologists engage with things in order to craft stories, both big and small, concerning our relations with materials and the nature of the past. Literally the "science of old things", archaeology does not discover the past as it was but must work with what remains. Such work involves the tangible mediation of past and present, of people and their cultural fabric, for things cannot be separated from society. Things are us. This book does not set forth a sweeping new theory. It does not seek to transform the discipline of archaeology. Rather, it aims to understand precisely what archaeologists do and to urge practitioners toward a renewed focus on and care for things.

"Illuminating... Recommended." -- A. B. Kehoe, Emeritus, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Choice "The messages found in The Discipline of Things should resonate across the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and material culture studies, attracting readers ranging from traditional material culture researchers to those with a postprocessualist tendency." -- Thomas E. Emerson American Journal of Archaeology "Genuinely thoughtful about the nature (or natures) of archaeology ... refreshingly original." Journal of Anthropological Research

ISBN: 9780520274167

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 23mm

Weight: 499g

266 pages