Download or read book Method and Theory for Activity Area Research written by Susan Kent and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Archaeological Theory written by Norman Yoffee and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993-07-22 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume assesses the real achievements of archaeology in increasing an understanding of the past. Without rejecting the insights either of traditional or more recent approaches, it considers the issues raised in current claims and controversies about what is appropriate theory for archaeology. The first section looks at the process of theory building and at the sources of the ideas employed. The following studies examine questions such as the interplay between expectation and evidence in ideas of human origins, social role and material practice in the formation of the archaeological record, and how the rise of states should be conceptualised; further papers cover issues of ethnoarchaeology, visual symbols, and conflicting claims to ownership of the past. The conclusion is that archaeologists need to be equally wary of naive positivism in the guise of scientific procedure, and of speculation about the unrecorded intentions of prehistoric actors.
Download or read book Space Time and Archaeological Landscapes written by Jaqueline Rossignol and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1992-08-31 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last 20 years have witnessed a proliferation of new approaches in archaeolog ical data recovery, analysis, and theory building that incorporate both new forms of information and new methods for investigating them. The growing importance of survey has meant an expansion of the spatial realm of traditional archaeological data recovery and analysis from its traditional focus on specific locations on the landscape-archaeological sites-to the incorporation of data both on-site and off-site from across extensive regions. Evolving survey methods have led to experiments with nonsite and distributional data recovery as well as the critical evaluation of the definition and role of archaeological sites in data recovery and analysis. In both survey and excavation, the geomorphological analysis of land scapes has become increasingly important in the analysis of archaeological ma terials. Ethnoarchaeology-the use of ethnography to sharpen archaeological understanding of cultural and natural formation processes-has concentrated study on the formation processes underlying the content and structure of archae ological deposits. These actualistic studies consider patterns of deposition at the site level and the material results of human organization at the regional scale. Ethnoarchaeological approaches have also affected research in theoretical ways by expanding investigation into the nature and organization of systems of land use per se, thus providing direction for further study of the material results of those systems.
Download or read book Handbook of Archaeological Theories written by R. Alexander Bentley and published by AltaMira Press. This book was released on 2007-11-09 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook gathers original, authoritative articles from leading archaeologists to compile the latest thinking about archaeological theory. The authors provide a comprehensive picture of the theoretical foundations by which archaeologists contextualize and analyze their archaeological data. Student readers will also gain a sense of the immense power that theory has for building interpretations of the past, while recognizing the wonderful archaeological traditions that created it. An extensive bibliography is included. This volume is the single most important reference for current information on contemporary archaeological theories.
Download or read book Ancient Maya Commoners written by Jon C. Lohse and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2004-11-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of what we currently know about the ancient Maya concerns the activities of the elites who ruled the societies and left records of their deeds carved on the monumental buildings and sculptures that remain as silent testimony to their power and status. But what do we know of the common folk who labored to build the temple complexes and palaces and grew the food that fed all of Maya society? This pathfinding book marshals a wide array of archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence to offer the fullest understanding to date of the lifeways of ancient Maya commoners. Senior and emerging scholars contribute case studies that examine such aspects of commoner life as settlement patterns, household organization, and subsistence practices. Their reports cover most of the Maya area and the entire time span from Preclassic to Postclassic. This broad range of data helps resolve Maya commoners from a faceless mass into individual actors who successfully adapted to their social environment and who also held primary responsibility for producing the food and many other goods on which the whole Maya society depended.
Download or read book Sacred Darkness written by Holley Moyes and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 607 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caves have been used in various ways across human society but despite the persistence within popular culture of the iconic caveman, deep caves were never used primarily as habitation sites for early humans. Rather, in both ancient and contemporary contexts, caves have served primarily as ritual spaces. In Sacred Darkness, contributors use archaeological evidence as well as ethnographic studies of modern ritual practices to envision the cave as place of spiritual and ideological power and a potent venue for ritual practice. Covering the ritual use of caves in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Mesoamerica, and the US Southwest and Eastern woodlands, this book brings together case studies by prominent scholars whose research spans from the Paleolithic period to the present day. These contributions demonstrate that cave sites are as fruitful as surface contexts in promoting the understanding of both ancient and modern religious beliefs and practices. This state-of-the-art survey of ritual cave use will be one of the most valuable resources for understanding the role of caves in studies of religion, sacred landscape, or cosmology and a must-read for any archaeologist interested in caves.
Download or read book World systems Theory in Practice written by P. Nick Kardulias and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1999 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the quarter century since Wallerstein first developed world systems theory (WST), scholars in a variety of disciplines have adopted the approach to explain intersocietal interaction on a grand scale. These essays bring to light archaeological data and analysis to show that many historic and prehistoric states lacked the mechanisms to dominate the distant (and in some cases, nearby) societies with which they interacted. Core/periphery exploitation needs to be demonstrated, not simply assumed, as the interdisciplinary dialogue which occurs in this volume demonstrates. World-Systems Theory in Practice will appeal to individuals with an interest in the application of WST in both the Old World and the New World. The papers in this volume reflect the vitality of the debate concerning the use of such generalizing theories and will be of interest to archeologists, anthropologists, historians, sociologists, and those involved in the study of civilizations.
Download or read book Making Places in the Prehistoric World written by Joanna Bruck and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-10-12 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This groundbreaking volume addresses issues central to the study of prehistoric settlement including group memory, the transmission of ideology and the impact of mobility and seasonality on the construction of social identity. Building on these themes, the contributors point to new ways of understanding the relationship between settlement and landscape by replacing Capitalist models of spatial relations with more intimate histories of place.
Download or read book Subsistence Settlement Systems and Intersite Variability in the Moroiso Phase of the Early Jomon Period of Japan written by Junko Habu and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the settlement patterns and intersite variability in lithic assemblages of Early Jomon (ca. 5000 BP) hunter-gatherers in Japan. A model is proposed that links regional settlement patterns and intersite lithic assemblage variability to residential mobility. The results of this study suggest that the Early Jomon people were not sedentary, as previously assumed, but instead moved their residential basis seasonally. The implications of this result are discussed in the context of the development of hunter-gatherer cultural complexity in general and the course of Japanese prehistory in particular.
Download or read book The Archaeology of Ethnogenesis written by Barbara L. Voss and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Compelling new evidence, careful documentation, and an artfully woven narrative make The Archaeology of Ethnogenesis a path-breaking book for sociocultural scholars as well as for general readers interested in the politics of identity, ethnicity, gender, and the colonial and U.S. Western history.”—Transforming Anthropology “Voss’s lucid explanations of method and theory make the book accessible to a broad range of audiences, from upper-level undergraduate and graduate students to professionals and lay audiences. . . . Its interdisciplinarity, indeed, may help to sell archaeology to audiences who do not typically consider archaeological evidence as an option for identity studies.”—Current Anthropology “The book reminds historians that other disciplines can offer fruitful methodological forays into well-trodden areas of study.”—Journal of American History “Those scholars studying various aspects of the Hispanic worldwide empire would be well advised to peruse Voss’s work.”—Historical Archaeology “[W]ell written, theoretically sophisticated, and unburdened by abstract concepts or hyper-qualified verbiage.”—H-Net Reviews “[E]ngaging. Overall, the text belongs in the library of every student of Spanish and Mexican Alta California. . . . The Archaeology of Ethnogenesis will become an anthropological standard.”—Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology “[A] must-read for all interested not only in colonial California, but for all historical archaeologists and to any archaeologist interested in the examination of identities.”—Cambridge Archaeological Journal “Shows how individuals negotiate ethnic identity through everyday objects and actions.”—SMRC Revista In this interdisciplinary study, Barbara Voss examines religious, environmental, cultural, and political differences at the Presidio of San Francisco, California, to reveal the development of social identities within the colony. Voss reconciles material culture with historical records, challenging widely held beliefs about ethnicity.
Download or read book Images of the Recent Past written by Charles E. Orser and published by Rowman Altamira. This book was released on 1996 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of classic and contemporary articles demonstrating the development of historical archaeology over the past 20 years, both in North America and throughout the world. Contains sections on recent perspectives, people and places, historic artifacts, interdisciplinary studies, landscape studies, and international historical archaeology. For use in historical archaeology classes. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Contemporary Approaches to Activity Theory Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Behavior written by Hansson, Thomas and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2014-10-31 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The human mind is best understood when it is studied in the context of meaningful and goal-oriented interactions between individuals and their environment. These internal and external activities help to shape the human consciousness and experience. Contemporary Approaches to Activity Theory: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Behavior is an opportunity to study the complex, socially-oriented contexts of humans by considering the entirety of our environments: cultures, motivations, signs and tools, and various activities. Highlighting strategies in design, educational and work practice, and methodological analysis, this book is an essential reference source for academicians, researchers, and students interested in gaining a thorough understanding of the interaction between humans and their environments.
Download or read book Theory and Method in Higher Education Research written by Malcolm Tight and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-29 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theory and Method in Higher Education contains contributions to international debates regarding the application and development of theory and methodology in researching higher education.
Download or read book Business Research Methods Theory and Practice written by Verónica Rosendo Ríos and published by ESIC. This book was released on 2013-11-20 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Industrial Revolution favored the growth of supply, until its surplus with regards to demand led to the paradigm shift from focusing on the product (“a good product sells itself”), or production (“a cheap product sells itself”), to the emphasis on customer relationships (“understanding consumer needs through market research”). Therefore, economic and technological development facilitated the incorporation of the business research discipline into the process of decision making —in the beginning— and business intelligence processes —these days— in order to make well informed decisions at lower economic risks (Méndez del Río, 2006). Thus, this book provides managers and students alike, with a clear analysis of business research methods, combining the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to complete a successful research project. Readers will learn from proven examples and case studies based on real life situations, which complement theoretical concepts and clearly illustrate how to do an appropriate market research. With each chapter, the reader is guided through all the stages of a market research process -from problem recognition to final report writing. This book offers both a deep understanding and at the same time permits judgment and analysis from a financial-audit perspective. It reviews and develops easy-to-follow theoretical and practical concepts in a simple, concise and clear structure that facilitate the application of business research methods to a wide variety of business sectors. Contents Introduction.- PART I: GATHERING THE DATA. Nature and Characteristics of Marketing Research.- Marketing Research Organization and Planning.- Sources and Tools of Market Research Data.- Measurement Scales and Questionnaire.- Surveys.- Panels.- Marketing Experimental Research.- Observation.- Qualitative Tools.- Theory and Practice of Sampling.- Fieldwork.- PART II: ANALYSING THE DATA. Survey Code and Tabulation.- Hypothesis Testing.- PART III: THE REPORT. The Report.- Figure Index.- Table Index .
Download or read book Archaeogaming written by Andrew Reinhard and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2018-06-18 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A general introduction to archeogaming describing the intersection of archaeology and video games and applying archaeological method and theory into understanding game-spaces. “[T]he author’s clarity of style makes it accessible to all readers, with or without an archaeological background. Moreover, his personal anecdotes and gameplay experiences with different game titles, from which his ideas often develop, make it very enjoyable reading.”—Antiquity Video games exemplify contemporary material objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture. Video games also serve as archaeological sites in the traditional sense as a place, in which evidence of past activity is preserved and has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology, and which represents a part of the archaeological record. From the introduction: Archaeogaming, broadly defined, is the archaeology both in and of digital games... As will be described in the following chapters, digital games are archaeological sites, landscapes, and artifacts, and the game-spaces held within those media can also be understood archaeologically as digital built environments containing their own material culture... Archaeogaming does not limit its study to those video games that are set in the past or that are treated as “historical games,” nor does it focus solely on the exploration and analysis of ruins or of other built environments that appear in the world of the game. Any video game—from Pac-Man to Super Meat Boy—can be studied archaeologically.
Download or read book Putting Activity Theory to Work written by Yrjö Engeström and published by Lehmanns Media. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 649 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultural-historical activity theory is a powerful toolkit for social sciences. This book demonstrates how the Finnish school of developmental work research uses activity theory in the analysis and practical transformation of work, technology and organizations. Developmental work research is a longitudinal and interventionist approach. Researchers aim at generating, supporting and following cycles of expansive learning in the activity systems they study. The process opens up qualitatively new possibilities for creating use values and for developing the capabilities and agency of the practitioners and their clients. Critical dialogue and partnerships are built between the researchers and the organizations they study. In their 18 chapters, the 23 authors of the book give a broad sample of work done over a period of ten years in the Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research at University of Helsinki. The theoretical and methodological themes range from the polyphony of activity to relationships between history, ethnography and interventions. The empirical chapters range from the work of teachers and judges to collaboration between industrial enterprises. Yrjö Engeström is Professor of Adult Education and Director of the Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research at University of Helsinki. Joachim Lompscher (1932-2005) was Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at University of Potsdam. Georg Rückriem is Professor Emeritus of Education at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. Cover photo: Faces of the authors in the order of their chapters.
Download or read book Engendering Aphrodite written by Diane Bolger and published by American Society of Overseas Research. This book was released on 2002 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a collection of papers which focus on issues of gender and society in ancient Cyprus from the Neolithic to Roman periods.
