Archaeological theory today - Ian Hodder

Now in a revised and updated second edition, this volume provides an
authoritative account of the current status of archaeological theory, as
presented by some of its major exponents and innovators over recent
decades. It summarizes the latest developments in the field and looks to
its future, exploring some of the cutting-edge ideas at the forefront
of the discipline.

The volume captures the diversity of
contemporary archaeological theory. Some authors argue for an approach
close to the natural sciences, others for an engagement with cultural
debate about representation of the past. Some minimize the relevance of
culture to societal change, while others see it as central; some focus
on the contingent and the local, others on long-term evolution. While
few practitioners in theoretical archaeology would today argue for a
unified disciplinary approach, the authors in this volume increasingly
see links and convergences between their perspectives.

The volume
also reflects archaeology's new openness to external influences, as
well as the desire to contribute to wider debates. The contributors
examine ways in which archaeological evidence contributes to theories of
evolutionary psychology, as well as to the social sciences in general,
where theories of social relationships, agency, landscape and identity
are informed by the long-term perspective of archaeology.

The new edition of Archaeological Theory Today will continue to be essential reading for students and scholars in archaeology and in the social sciences more generally.