Social Theory and Archaeology
Christopher Tilley author Michael Shanks author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Published:12th Nov '87
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Archaeological theory and method have recently become the subject of vigorous debate centred on the growing realization that archaeological theory is social theory and as such can be looked at by means of a wide variety of sociological frameworks, such as structuralism and post-structuralism, Marxism and critical theory. In this analysis, Shanks and Tilley argue against the functionalism and positivism which result from an inadequate assimilation of social theory into the day-to-day practice of archaeology. Aimed at an advanced undergraduate audience, the book presents a challenge to the traditional idea of the archaeologist as explorer or discoverer and the more recent emphasis on archaeology as behavioural science. The authors examine and evaluate the new possibilities for a self-reflexive, critical and political practice of archaeology, productively linking the past to the present.
ISBN: 9780745601847
Dimensions: 216mm x 146mm x 15mm
Weight: 312g
256 pages