Evolutionary and Interpretive Archaeologies: A Dialogue (UCL Institute of Archaeology Publications) - Softcover

This collection of original articles compares various key archaeological topics―agency, violence, social groups, diffusion―from evolutionary and interpretive perspectives. These two strands represent the major current theoretical poles in the discipline. By comparing and contrasting the insights they provide into major archaeological themes, this volume demonstrates the importance of theoretical frameworks in archaeological interpretations. Chapter authors discuss relevant Darwinian or interpretive theory with short archaeological and anthropological case studies to illustrate the substantive conclusions produced. The book will advance debate and contribute to a better understanding of the goals and research strategies that comprise these distinct research traditions.

Ethan Cochrane (PhD, University of Hawai?i 2004) is Projects Manager and Senior Archaeologist at the International Archaeological Research Institute and was formerly Lecturer of Pacific Island Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. His research concentrates on Pacific Island prehistory, ceramic stylistic, functional and provenance analyses, and archaeological method and theory, particularly evolutionary theory. Ethan's work has been published in several edited volumes and international journals including the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Journal of Archaeological Science, Asian Perspectives, Archaeology in Oceania, and the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. Andrew Gardner is Lecturer in the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. He has worked previously at the University of Reading, the University of Leicester, and Cardiff University. His publications include the edited volume Agency Uncovered: archaeological perspectives on social agency, power and being human (UCL Press), and his research interests center upon the social dynamics of Roman imperialism, the role of material culture in the expression of cultural identity, and the ways in which people in different societies understand time.