The Social Construction of Communities Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest

by Varien, Mark D.; Potter, James M.; Allison, James R.; Clark, Jeffrey J.; Hegmon, Michelle; Hill, J Brett; Kuckelman, Kristen A.; Lyons, Patrick D.; Naranjo, Tessie; Ortman, Scott G.; Pauketat, Timothy R.; Perry, Elizabeth M.; Ryan, Susan C.; Schachner, Gr

• ISBN13: 9780759110083
• ISBN10: 0759110085
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-15
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

"The Social Construction of Communities draws on the archaeology of the southwestern United States to examine how communities are created through social interaction. The archeological record of the Southwest is unparalleled in many respects, including its precise dating, exceptional preservation, unusually large number of sites, millenia-long occupation, intensive research, detailed environmental reconstructions, and the link between ancestral and modern Pueblo people. Taking advantage of the rich archaeological record, the contributors present case studies of the Mesa Verde, Rio Grande, Kayenta, Mogollon, and Hohokam regions. Each case study draws on a wide range of archaeological data to tease out the details of social interaction that result in the social construction of communities. Modern social theory is used to examine each case, producing an enhances understanding of the ancient Southwest, a new appreciation for the ways in which humans construct communities and transform society, and an expanded theoretical discussion of the foundational concepts of modern social theory."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Mark D. Varien is director of research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center and the author of Sedentism and Mobility in a Social Landscape: Mesa Verde and Beyond (1999) James M. Potter is the senior scientist in archaeology at SWCA, Inc., and author of Prehistory in West Prescott, Arizona (2005)

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
The Social Production of Communities: Structure, Agency, and Identity	p. 1
Identity
Space, Houses, and Bodies: Identity Construction and Destruction in an Early Pueblo Community	p. 21
Exchanging Identities: Early Pueblo I Red Ware Exchange and Identity North of the San Juan River	p. 41
Constructing Community and Transforming Identity at Albert Porter Pueblo	p. 69
Agency and the Individual
Agency and Gender in Prehispanic Puebloan Communities	p. 89
An Agent-Centered Case Study of the Depopulation of Sand Canyon Pueblo	p. 109
Place and Landscape
Action, Place, and Space in the Castle Rock Community	p. 125
History, Place, and Social Power in the Galisteo Basin, A.D. 1250-1325	p. 155
Migration, Settlement, and Community Organization
Imagining Communities in the Cibola Past	p. 171
Demography, Agricultural Potential, and Identity among Ancient Immigrants	p. 191
Social Theory and Southwestern Communities
Structure and Agency in Southwest Archaeology	p. 217
The Grounds for Agency in Southwest Archaeology	p. 233
Life as Movement: A Tewa View of Community and Identity	p. 251
Bibliography	p. 263
Index	p. 307
About the Contributors	p. 319
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