The Archaeology of Colonial Encounters
Comparative Perspectives
Edited by Gil J. Stein
Colonialism and its legacies have emerged as one of the most important research topics in anthropology. Indeed, we now understand that colonialism gave rise to and shaped the discipline. However, the understanding of colonization in anthropology, history, and other fields derives largely from studies of European expansion. In this volume, ten archaeologists analyze the assumptions that have constrained previous studies of colonialism and demonstrate that colonization was common in early Old and New World state societies—an important strategy by which people gained access to critical resources.
2005. 464 pp., 35 black-and-white illustrations, 3 tables, notes, references, index, 6 x 9
Contributors: Susan Alcock, Terence N. D’Altroy, Michael Dietler, Janine Gasco, Kent G. Lightfoot, J. Daniel Rogers, Katharina Schreiber, Michael Spence, Gil J. Stein, Peter Van Dommelen
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—Dr. Chris Gosden, Pitt Rivers Museum Research Centre
“This volume is a valuable contribution to the study of ancient states and empires…. The focus upon colonies is particularly welcome since it moves beyond sterile typological debates.”
—Dr. Robert Preucel, University of Pennsylvania
“This volume is a timely contribution to the anthropological study of colonialism, and it would be an excellent addition to the syllabus of any class examining colonialism – in ancient or modern contexts.”
—Matthew Liebmann, Journal of Anthropological Research
“What is striking about The Archaeology of Colonial Encounters, and makes it very interesting for non-archaeologists, is the extent to which archaeologists are aware of the debates that are taking place in social and cultural anthropology and are prepared to engage in them.”
—Natacha Gagné, Reviews in Anthropology
- Introduction: The Comparative Archaeology of Colonial Encounters
Gil J. Stein - The Archaeology of Colonization and the Colonization of Archaeology: Theoretical Challenges from an Ancient Mediterranean Colonial Encounter
Michael Dietler - Spanish Colonialism and Processes of Social Change in Mesoamerica
Janine Gasco - Colonial Interactions and Hybrid Practices: Phoenician and Carthaginian Settlement in the Ancient Mediterranean
Peter van Dommelen - The Political Economy of Mesopotamian Colonial Encounters
Gil J. Stein - A Zapotec Diaspora Network in Classic-Period Central Mexico
Michael W. Spence - The Archaeology of Colonization: California in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Kent G. Lightfoot - Imperial Agendas and Local Agency: Wari Colonial Strategies
Katharina Schreiber - Remaking the Social Landscape: Colonization in the Inka Empire
Terence N. D’Altroy - Roman Colonies in the Eastern Empire: A Tale of Four Cities
Susan E. Alcock - Archaeology and the Interpretation of Colonial Encounters
J. Daniel Rogers