Ebook: Modern Material Culture. The Archaeology of Us

Modern Material Culture is concerned with the nature of archaeological reasoning. Its approach is one of observing contemporary human behavior as a theoretically self-conscious archaeologist might, with the aim of testing and extending generalizations derived from contemporary data to encompass both past and present human activities. The volume is based on the idea that direct observations and experiments often reveal unexpected aspects of human behavior. Particular case studies serve as a foundation for presenting more general cross-cultural kinds of relationships that also apply to the prehistoric past
The essays fall into four general categories:

* those dealing explicitly with the theory and teaching of the modern material-cultural approach
* case studies from different segments of American life that demonstrate the application of this approach. (These studies form the core of the volume and posit general statements about human behavior in relation to materials as varied as coins, herbs, graffiti, and fences, and topics ranging from mortuary practices to recycling of goods.)
* those that present the role of experimental methods in modern material-cultural studies
* papers that bridge the gap between traditional areas of interest in archaeology - such as stone toolmaking and Egyptology - and the modern material-cultural approach.

Modern Material Culture will interest students and scholars in anthropology, archaeology, geography. sociology, and American studies