ABSTRACT

Archaeology and its Discontents examines the state of archaeology today and its development throughout the twentieth century, making a powerful case for new approaches.

Surveying the themes of twentieth-century archaeological theory, Barrett looks at their successes, limitations, and failures. Seeing more failures and limitations than successes, he argues that archaeology has over-focused on explaining the human construction of material variability and should instead be more concerned with understanding how human diversity has been constructed. Archaeology matters, he argues, precisely because of the insights it can offer into the development of human diversity. The analysis and argument are illustrated throughout by reference to the development of the European Neolithic.

Arguing both for new approaches and for the importance of archaeology as a discipline, Archaeology and its Discontents is for archaeologists at all levels, from student to professor and trainee to experienced practitioner.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|13 pages

Explanation and Understanding

chapter 2|18 pages

The Archaeological Record

chapter 3|20 pages

Systems and the Dynamics of Historical Change

The New Archaeology

chapter 4|16 pages

A Social Archaeology

chapter 6|14 pages

The Evolution of Ecosystems

chapter 7|18 pages

The Making of Populations

chapter 8|18 pages

The Cultures of Life

chapter |2 pages

Epilogue