Archaeologies of Materiality

Reviews / Votes

"This fascinating and path-breaking volume addresses the mostprofound conceptual problems raised by the sheer materiality ofthings. It opens up important new conversations amongarchaeologists, socio-cultural anthropologists, and socialtheorists of all sorts." Webb Keane, University of Michigan "This collection is not only a great pleasure to read, butwill impress all scholars interested in material culture with itsmultidisciplinary maturity." Peter Pels, Leiden University "This volume forces us to bring into focus our supposedlytransparent 'materialism' and recognize that the'things' we use to 'know a people' eludeour classic taxonomies and trouble our social theoreticalcategories. Calling into question a simple dichotomy of objects as'purely functional or deeply symbolic' this volumehelps us understand how 'materiality is problematic not onlyfor our classical versions of material determinism but equally formany of our 'new' and 'post' theories ofsignification." Cambridge Archaeological Journal "This book crosses boundaries between anthropology,material culture studies, and archaeology, in an attempt tostrengthen a burgeoning movement toward looking at archaeologicalmaterials through the lens of materiality... it would beappropriate reading for all archaeologists interested in furtherexploring the relationships between social concepts and materialculture." Canadian journal of Archaeology "Readers less interested in specific approach tomateriality will find value in the various reflections on thesubject and practice of archaeology in this volume." American Antiquity