Companion to Social Archaeology

A Companion to Social Archaeology explores the encounter of social theory and archaeology since the 1980s. The volume comprises 17 original essays grouped into four sections - Knowledges, Identities, Places, and Politics. Each section is prefaced with a review essay prepared by the editors that contextualizes the history and developments in social archaeology and related fields including anthropology, social theory, politics, and philosophy. The volume traces the origins of social theory within archaeology, discusses different conceptions of social archaeology, and identifies key intellectual issues that will have a bearing on the discipline's future direction. This book advocates a social archaeology that foregrounds the situated experiences of material life, the constitution of the object world and, concurrently, their shaping of human experience. This collection provides an invaluable reference for students and teachers studying the intersections of archaeology, culture, and society.Meskell, Lynn is the author of 'Companion to Social Archaeology', published 2006 under ISBN 9781405156783 and ISBN 1405156783.