Archaeological Theory in Practice

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Figures and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- CHAPTER 1: Theory, Perception, and Explanation: World Views and Science -- Introduction -- The Power of World Views -- Evaluating World Views -- The Limits of World Views -- Scientific Models of Perceiving, Describing, and Explaining -- Theories and World Views -- Summary -- Further Reading -- Case Studies -- Theory, General Discussions -- Theory, Middle-Range and Analogy -- CHAPTER 2: Theories, Perceptions, and Explanations in the Social Sciences -- Introduction -- Hard Theories, Soft Sciences -- Coexisting Theories in Archaeology -- Simplification or Distortion in Archaeological Theories -- Theories: Fulfilling Their Promises or Self-Fulfilling Prophecies? -- Summary -- Further Reading -- Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- Theory, General Discussions -- Theory, Middle-Range and Analogy -- Theory, Processual -- CHAPTER 3: Dimensions of Theory in Archaeology -- Introduction -- Making a Theory -- Causation -- Free Will vs. Overpowering Force -- Generalizing vs. Particularizing Approaches -- Summary -- Further Reading -- Case Studies Cited in the Text (Non-Archaeological) -- Theory, Evolutionary Archaeology -- Theory, General Discussions -- Theory, Interpretivist -- Theory, Marxist -- Theory, Practice -- CHAPTER 4: Putting Theories Together: Archaeological Schools -- Introduction -- Culture History -- Culture History, Romanticism, and Anthropology -- Summary of Culture Historical Premises -- Processualism -- Modernism -- Summary of Processualist Principles -- Marxist Archaeology -- Summary of Marxist Principles -- Interpretivism -- Postmodernism in the Social Sciences -- Postmodernism in Archaeology -- Summary of Interpretivist Principles -- The Permeability of Archaeological Schools

Theory and Particular Cases of Practice -- Further Reading -- Archaeology, Histories -- Archaeology, Methods -- Archaeology, Settlement Survey -- Theory, Culture History -- Theory, Evolutionary Archaeology -- Theory, Feminist -- Theory, General -- Theory, Interpretivist -- Theory, Marxist -- Theory, Processual -- CHAPTER 5: Taking on the State in Southern Mesopotamia -- Introduction -- Southern Mesopotamia -- Objects of Biblical Significance -- Culture History and the Sumerians -- Processualism and the Rise of the State -- Cities, Storage, and Power -- Processualism and the Expansion of Research Designs -- Processualism and the State -- Marxism and the State of Power -- Seizing Power and Wealth with Class -- Expanding the Scope of Analysis: The State, Colonies, and Interregional Exploitation -- Interpretivism: Fragmenting the State -- Power and Gender -- Communication across Theoretical Schools -- Further Reading -- Mesopotamia, General Discussion -- Theory, Interpretivist -- Theory, Marxism -- Theory, Processual -- Theory, World System -- CHAPTER 6: Multiple Views of Stonehenge -- Stonehenge Today -- Antiquaries and Stonehenge -- Addressing History in Context -- Why Was Stonehenge Built? -- Creating Culture through Experiences of the Material -- Continuing Contests for Stonehenge -- Stonehenge and Identity -- Further Reading -- Archaeologies, Alternative -- Stonehenge, General Discussions -- Theory, Interpretivist -- Theory, Processual -- CHAPTER 7: Culture, History, and Adaptation in the Naco Valley -- Introduction -- Our Beginnings -- Selecting a Research Area -- Southeast Mesoamerican Prehistory: A Marginal Matter -- Intensified Interest: Southeast Mesoamerican Research in the 1960s-1970s -- Setting -- Outline of Naco Valley and Mesoamerican Prehistory as Understood in 2011 -- Developing Our Initial Theory -- Summary of Our Overarching Theory

Setting to Work -- Problems and Compromises -- Interpretations -- The Naco Valley, AD 825- As We Saw It in the Early 1980s -- Further Reading -- Archaeology, Households -- Archaeology, Methods -- Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- Southeast Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- CHAPTER 8: Crafting Power in the Late Classic Naco Valley -- Introduction -- Shifting Conceptual Ground -- Applying New Theories to the Naco Valley -- Evaluating the Hypothesis -- A New Theory Rises from the Ashes of the Old -- Grappling with Craft Production -- Craftworking Defined -- Identifying Production -- The Organization of Production -- Summary of Our Efforts to Reconstruct the Structure of Ancient Craft Production -- Evaluating the Hypothesis, 1990-1991 -- Where We Stood in 1991 -- The Naco Valley, AD 825-As of the Early 1990s -- Further Reading -- Archaeology, Settlement Survey -- Naco Valley -- Southeast Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- Theory, Crafts -- Theory, Inter-Societal Interaction and Trade -- Theory, Prestige Goods -- Theory, World Systems -- CHAPTER 9: Practicing Power over Time -- Introduction -- Hypothesis Testing Continues -- Crafting in the Hinterland -- Change Over Time and a Return to Chronology -- Changing Power Relations at La Sierra -- Changing Power Relations among Rural Populations -- The Naco Valley in a Regional Context -- Shifting Relations among Power, Production, and People -- Coping with Diversity -- Variation within Sites -- Behavioral Variation among Sites -- Variations in the Status of Artisans -- Wealth Variations among Households -- Political Structure and Individual Action -- Practice Theory -- Our Version of Practice Theory -- The Naco Valley, AD 825-As of 2011 -- Further Reading -- Archaeology, Households -- Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- Naco Valley -- Southeast Mesoamerica, General Discussions -- Theory, Feminist

Theory, General Discussions -- Theory, Marxism -- Theory, Practice -- CHAPTER 10: Conclusions -- Introduction -- What Have We Learned about Naco Valley Prehistory? -- What Does This Tell Us about the Nature of Archaeological Research? -- Seeing What You Expect to See -- Seeing beyond Theory's Expectations -- Obstacles to Vision -- Sharing Information across Theoretical Divides -- Theory and Methods -- How Real Are Schools of Thought? -- How We Learn and What We Know -- Why So Many Theories? -- Do Not Be Afraid to Fail -- Theory and Communication -- What Is Archaeological Truth? -- Truth for Whom? -- A Few Final Words -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Authors