The Body as Material Culture: A Theoretical Osteoarchaeology

ISBN-13: 9780521521468 / Angielski / Miękka / 2006 / 208 str.

Joanna R. Sofaer

Opis

Skeletal remains are a vital source of evidence for archaeologists. Their interpretation has tended to take two divergent forms: the scientific and the humanistic. In this innovative study, Joanna Sofaer Derevenski argues that these approaches are unnecessarily polarized and that one should not be pursued without the other. Exploring key themes such as sex, gender, life cycle and diet, she argues that the body is both biological object and cultural site and is not easily detached from the objects, practices and landscapes that surround it.

Recenzje

'This sophisticated integration of constructivist and biological perspectives demonstrates her [the author] ability to draw insights from both 'sides' and she encourages other scholars to do the same. … Her book is a valuable contribution that provides exciting prospects for osteoarchaeologists who have been striving to incorporate 'anthropology of the body' into their work and it demonstrates a maturing of the discipline. Social anthropologists and archaeologists with interests in anthropology of the body, mortuary practices, gender roles and the changing life course would also benefit from this reading. I think they will be pleasantly surprised by all that osteoarchaeology - of the kind that Sofaer espouses - can offer.' Cambridge Archaeological Journal

Spis treści

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.