The Social Construction of Communities: Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest [Hardcover]

The Social Construction of Communitiesdraws on archaeological research in the Southwest to examine how communities are created through social interaction. The archaeological record of the Southwest is important for its precise dating, exceptional preservation, large number of sites, and length of occupation-making it most intensively researched archaeological regions in the world. Taking advantage of that rich archaeological record, the contributors to this volume present case studies of the Mesa Verde, Rio Grande, Kayenta, Mogollon, and Hohokam regions. The result is an enhanced 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.Mark D. Varienis Director of Research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center and the author ofSedentism and Mobility in a Social Landscape: Mesa Verde and Beyond.James M. Potteris the Senior Scientist in Archaeology at SWCA, Inc and author ofPrehistory In West Prescott, Arizona.

The authors inThe Social Construction of Communitiesraise the right questions as they attempt to break with the ecofunctionalist models of past decades. Southwest archaeologists will find the volume's substantive, synthetic discussions of recent research to be particularly useful. Ruth Van Dyke, Colorado College

Varien and Potter are to be congratulated on editing a volume that provides a substantial theoretical and methocological foundation for understanding how past communities were created and maintained in the American Southwest....this book is a must-add to the literature and an important addition to our understanding of the Chacoan world. Journal of Anthropological Research

This volume is an admirable combination of social theory and substantive results that helps to redefine how archaeologists look at past lS%