Agency in Archaeology

by Marcia-Anne Dobres (Editor), John Robb

Agency in Archaeology is the first critical volume to scrutinise the concept of agency and to examine in-depth its potential to inform our understanding of the past. Theories of agency recognise that human beings make choices, hold intentions and take action. This offers archaeologists scope to move beyond looking at broad structural or environmental change and instead to consider the individual and the group
Agency in Archaeology brings together nineteen internationally renowned scholars who have very different, and often conflicting, stances on the meaning and use of agency theory to archaeology. The volume is composed of five theoretically-based discussions and nine case studies, drawing on regions from North America and Mesoamerica to Western and central Europe, and ranging in subject from the late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers to the restructuring of gender relations in the north-eastern US.

Genres: Archaeology

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2000

Reviews

[Carrie Doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best definition of “agency” in anthropology I’ve read so far. Love that it’s applied to my specific subfield. There are several brilliant examples in the book for anyone looking to explore this concept.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotta be an archaeologist to really dig this book (sorry about the pun), but it is a good debate about the use of agency in archeology. It does a good job of defining the debate, introducing the concepts and then showing practical applications of differing versions of agency.