The Social Construction of Communities: Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest

by Mark D. Varien, James M. Potter, James R. Allison, Jeffrey J. Clark, Michelle Hegmon

Overview

The Social Construction of Communities draws on archaeological research in the Southwest to examine how communities are created through social interaction. The archaeological record of the Southwest is important for its precise dating, exceptional preservation, large number of sites, and length of occupation—making it most intensively researched archaeological regions in the world. Taking advantage of that rich archaeological record, the contributors to this volume present case studies of the Mesa Verde, Rio Grande, Kayenta, Mogollon, and Hohokam regions. The result is an enhanced understanding of the ancient Southwest, a new appreciation for the ways in which humans construct communities and transform society, and an expanded theoretical discussion of the foundational concepts of modern social theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759110083
Publisher:	AltaMira Press
Publication date:	08/15/2008
Series:	Archaeology in Society
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mark D. Varien is Director of Research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center and the author of Sedentism and Mobility in a Social Landscape: Mesa Verde and Beyond. James M. Potter is the Senior Scientist in Archaeology at SWCA, Inc and author of Prehistory In West Prescott, Arizona.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. The Social Production of Communities: Structure, Agency, and Identity
Part 2 Part I. Identity
Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Space, Houses, and Bodies: Identity Construction and Destruction in Early Pueblo Villages
Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Exchanging Identities: Early Pueblo I Red Ware Exchange and Identity North of the San Juan River
Chapter 5 Chapter 4. Constructing Community and Transforming Identity at Albert Porter Pueblo
Part 6 Part II. Agency and the Individual
Chapter 7 Chapter 5. Agency and Gender in Prehispanic Pueblo Communities
Chapter 8 Chapter 6. An Agent-Centered Case Study of the Depopulation of Sand Canyon Pueblo
Part 9 Part III. Place and Landscape
Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Agency, Place, and Space in the Castle Rock Communities
Chapter 11 Chapter 8. History, Place, and Social Power in the Galisteo Basin, A.D. 1250-1325
Part 12 Part IV. Migration, Settlement, and Community Organization
Chapter 13 Chapter 9. Imagining Communities in the Cibola Past
Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Demography, Agricultural Potential, and Identity among Ancient Immigrants
Part 15 Part V. Social Theory and Southwestern Communities
Chapter 16 Chapter 11. Structure and Agency in Southwest Archaeology
Chapter 17 Chapter 12. The Grounds for Agency in Southwest Archaeology
Chapter 18 Chapter 13. Life as Movement: A Tewa View of Community and Identity

Editorial Reviews

Varien and Potter are to be congratulated on editing a volume that provides a substantial theoretical and methocological foundation for understanding how past communities were created and maintained in the American Southwest....this book is a must-add to the literature and an important addition to our understanding of the Chacoan world.

Journal of Anthropological Research

The authors in The Social Construction of Communities raise the right questions as they attempt to break with the ecofunctionalist models of past decades. Southwest archaeologists will find the volume's substantive, synthetic discussions of recent research to be particularly useful.

Ruth Van Dyke

This volume is an admirable combination of social theory and substantive results that helps to redefine how archaeologists look at past communities. Although the case studies are from the U.S. Southwest, they have broad applicability to many archaeological regions and should serve as important sources for agency-oriented approaches in archaeology.

Barbara J. Mills

The authors in The Social Construction of Communities raise the right questions as they attempt to break with the ecofunctionalist models of past decades. Southwest archaeologists will find the volume's substantive, synthetic discussions of recent research to be particularly useful.--Ruth Van Dyke, Colorado College

This volume is an admirable combination of social theory and substantive results that helps to redefine how archaeologists look at past communities. Although the case studies are from the U.S. Southwest, they have broad applicability to many archaeological regions and should serve as important sources for agency-oriented approaches in archaeology.--Barbara J. Mills, University of Arizona

Varien and Potter are to be congratulated on editing a volume that provides a substantial theoretical and methocological foundation for understanding how past communities were created and maintained in the American Southwest....this book is a must-add to the literature and an important addition to our understanding of the Chacoan world.--Journal of Anthropological Research

From the Publisher

Varien and Potter are to be congratulated on editing a volume that provides a substantial theoretical and methocological foundation for understanding how past communities were created and maintained in the American Southwest....this book is a must-add to the literature and an important addition to our understanding of the Chacoan world.

Journal Of Anthropological Research