The Body as Material Culture

A Theoretical Osteoarchaeology
Erscheinungsjahr 2010
ISBN: 978-0-521-52146-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 4, 204 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 346 g

Reihe: Topics in Contemporary Archaeology

Bodies intrigue us. They promise windows into the past that other archaeological finds cannot by bringing us literally face to face with history. Yet 'the body' is also highly contested. Archaeological bodies are studied through two contrasting perspectives that sit on different sides of a disciplinary divide. On one hand lie science-based osteoarchaeological approaches. On the other lie understandings derived from recent developments in social theory that increasingly view the body as a social construction. Through a close examination of disciplinary practice, Joanna Sofaer highlights the tensions and possibilities offered by one particular kind of archaeological body, the human skeleton, with particular regard to the study of gender and age. Using a range of examples, she argues for reassessment of the role of the skeletal body in archaeological practice, and develops a theoretical framework for bioarchaeology based on the materiality and historicity of human remains.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sofaer, Joanna R.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Gesellschaftstheorie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Bodies and boundaries; 2. The body as an archaeological resource; 3. The body and convention in archaeological practice; 4. Material bodies; 5. Gender; 6. Age.

Über Autor(innen)

Sofaer, Joanna R.
Joanna R. Sofaer is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Southampton. As an osteoarchaeologist and prehistorian, she has published widely on human bioarchaeology and European prehistory. Her previous publications include Children and Material Culture (editor) (2000).