1st Edition

Archaeology of Entanglement

Edited By Lindsay Der, Francesca Fernandini Copyright 2016
    262 Pages
    by Routledge

    262 Pages
    by Routledge

    Entanglement theory posits that the interrelationship of humans and objects is a delimiting characteristic of human history and culture. This edited volume of original studies by leading archaeological theorists applies this concept to a broad range of topics, including archaeological science, heritage, and theory itself. In the theoretical explications and ten case studies, the editors and contributing authors:



    • build on the intersections between science, humanities and ecology to provide a more fine-grained, multi-scalar treatment emanating from the long-term perspective that characterizes archaeological research;



    • bring to light the subtle and unacknowledged paths that configure historical circumstances and bind human intentionality;



    • examine the constructions of personhood, the rigidity of path dependencies, the unpredictable connections between humans and objects and the intricate paths of past events in varied geographic and historical contexts that channel future actions.



    This broad focus is inclusive of early complex developments in Asia and Europe, imperial and state strategies in the Andes and Mesoamerica, continuities of postcolonialism in North America, and the unforeseen and complex consequences that derive from archaeological practices. This volume will appeal to archaeologists and their advanced students.



     

    1 Disentangling the Archaeology of Colonialist and Indigeneity



    2 "Is this the Gold that You Eat?”: Coins, Entanglement, and Early Colonial Orderings in the Andes (AD 1532-ca. 1650)



    3 Entangled Objects and Disarticulated Bodies: Managing Social Upheaval in middle Horizon Peru



    4 From Enchantment to Entrapment: Following the Threads of Foreign Artefacts in San Jose de Moro



    5 Entangled Banks and the Domestication of East African Pastoralist Landscapes



    6 Entanglements and Entrapment on the Pathway towards Domestication



    7 path Dependence and the Long-term Trajectory of Prehistoric Hohokam Irrigation in Arizona



    8 Entangled Histories, Entangled Worlds: Reflections on Time, Space, and Place



    9 Looting: Archaeology's Dirty Little Secret



    10 Degrees of Dependence: The Example of the Introduction of Pottery in the Middle East and at Catalhoyuk

    Biography

    Lindsay Der is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. She is currently a researcher with the Catalhoyuk Research Project and is investigating changing human-animal relationships through time by looking at various datasets. Additional interests include archaeology and ethics, GIS, public archaeology, religion/ritual/cults and archaeological survey. Lindsay has previously carried out fieldwork at Alexandria Troas, Turkey, and with the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project (BVAR) at the site of Baking Pot, Belize. She also has a diploma in 3D Animation and Special Effects from Vancouver Film School.



    Francesca Fernandini is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. Her research is focused on the effects of imperial expansion in non-colonial settlements in the Andes. She has carried out extensive excavations throughout the coast and highlands of Peru and Bolivia and is currently directing a research project centered at Cerrodel Oro, a monumental settlement located in the south coast of Peru. Additional interests include GIS, photogrammetry and public archaeology.



     

    "This collection of essays is a timely, exciting and innovative contribution to the growing archaeological interest in network and relational approaches. The authors discuss the variety of ways in which the term entanglement can be used in archaeology and show that the term can be applied in a wide range of time periods and regions. Broad theoretical issues raised by a consideration of entanglement are discussed but the main focus is on applications to a diversity of topics and research problems. Notions of entanglement have the potential to bring together different perspectives in archaeology and this volume contributes in important ways to that initiative. "

    - Ian Hodder, Stanford University