A unique collection of newly written essays by archaeologists working in a variety of contexts and geographical areas, Archaeologies of Memory is a groundbreaking text that presents a coherent framework for the study of memory in past societies.

• Serves as an accessible introduction to central issues in the study of memory, including authority and identity, and the role memory plays in their creation and transformation.
  
• Presents a collection of newly commissioned essays that provide a coherent framework for the study of memory in past...

It is little wonder that relationships between things and humans are front-and-center in the contemporary social sciences, given the presence of technologies in every conceivable aspect of our lives. From Bruno Latour to Ian Hodder, anthropologists and archaeologists are embracing "thing theory" and the "ontological turn." In Practicing Materiality, Ruth M. Van Dyke cautions that as anthropologists turn toward animals and things, they run the risk of turning away from people and intentional actions.

Practicing Materiality focuses on the practical job of applying materiality...