Socialising Complexity
Socialising Complexity

Author: Sheila Kohring

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2007-11-30

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1785705040

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Socialising Complexity introduces the concept of complexity as a tool, rather than a category, for understanding social formations. This new take on complexity moves beyond the traditional concern with what constitutes a complex society and focuses on the complexity inherent in various social forms through the structuring principles created within each society. The aims and themes of the book can thus be summarized as follows: to introduce the idea of complexity as a tool, which is pertinent to the understanding of all types of society, rather than an exclusionary type of society in its own right; to examine concepts that can enhance our interpretation of societal complexity, such as heterarchy, materialization and contextualization. These concepts are applied at different scales and in different ways, illustrating their utility in a variety of different cases; to reestablish social structure as a topic of study within archaeology, which can be profitably studied by proponents of both processual and post-processual methodologies.

Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology
Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology

Author: Dries Daems

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2021-02-22

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1000344673

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Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology turns to complex systems thinking in search of a suitable framework to explore social complexity in Archaeology. Social complexity in archaeology is commonly related to properties of complex societies such as states, as opposed to so-called simple societies such as tribes or chiefdoms. These conceptualisations of complexity are ultimately rooted in Eurocentric perspectives with problematic implications for the field of archaeology. This book provides an in-depth conceptualisation of social complexity as the core concept in archaeological and interdisciplinary studies of the past, integrating approaches from complex systems thinking, archaeological theory, social practice theory, and sustainability and resilience science. The book covers a long-term perspective of social change and stability, tracing the full cycle of complexity trajectories, from emergence and development to collapse, regeneration and transformation of communities and societies. It offers a broad vision on social complexity as a core concept for the present and future development of archaeology. This book is intended to be a valuable resource for students and scholars in the field of archaeology and related disciplines such as history, anthropology, sociology, as well as the natural sciences studying human-environment interactions in the past.

The Evolution of Social Institutions
The Evolution of Social Institutions

Author: Dmitri M. Bondarenko

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-09-12

Total Pages: 662

ISBN-13: 3030514374

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This book presents a novel and innovative approach to the study of social evolution using case studies from the Old and the New World, from prehistory to the present. This approach is based on examining social evolution through the evolution of social institutions. Evolution is defined as the process of structural change. Within this framework the society, or culture, is seen as a system composed of a vast number of social institutions that are constantly interacting and changing. As a result, the structure of society as a whole is also evolving and changing. The authors posit that the combination of evolving social institutions explains the non-linear character of social evolution and that every society develops along its own pathway and pace. Within this framework, society should be seen as the result of the compound effect of the interactions of social institutions specific to it. Further, the transformation of social institutions and relations between them is taking place not only within individual societies but also globally, as institutions may be trans-societal, and even institutions that operate in one society can arise as a reaction to trans-societal trends and demands. The book argues that it may be more productive to look at institutions even within a given society as being parts of trans-societal systems of institutions since, despite their interconnectedness, societies still have boundaries, which their members usually know and respect. Accordingly, the book is a must-read for researchers and scholars in various disciplines who are interested in a better understanding of the origins, history, successes and failures of social institutions.

Socialising with Diversity
Socialising with Diversity

Author: Fran Meissner

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-07-08

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 1137474394

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This book analyses post-migration social networks via the notion of superdiversity. Approaching diversity as relational and complexly configured through multiple migration-related differentiations, it challenges us to rethink how we talk about and classify migrant networks. Based on research in two cities of migration - London and Toronto - the author investigates how we can use a superdiversity lens to discuss migrant networks in urban contexts. Focusing on the personal networks of Pacific Islanders and New Zealand Māori, she sheds light on the sociality practices of relatively small groups of migrants, the members of which are nonetheless differentiated in terms of superdiversity. Using cluster analytic pattern detection to explore alternative ways of describing migrant networks, she brings into play multifaceted descriptions such as city-cohort, long-term resident, superdiverse and migrant-peer networks. Visualising complex patterns of diversity, this book therefore contributes to theoretical debates by proposing a relational understanding of diversity rather than one based on the enumeration of (ethnic) categories. This book will appeal to sociologists, political scientists and all scholars interested in urban diversity, migration and diasporas.

Complexity Economics
Complexity Economics

Author: Koenraad Verboven

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-11-25

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 303047898X

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Economic archaeology and ancient economic history have boomed the past decades. The former thanks to greatly enhanced techniques to identify, collect, and interpret material remains as proxies for economic interactions and performance; the latter by embracing the frameworks of new institutional economics. Both disciplines, however, still have great difficulty talking with each other. There is no reliable method to convert ancient proxy-data into the economic indicators used in economic history. In turn, the shared cultural belief-systems underlying institutions and the symbolic ways in which these are reproduced remain invisible in the material record. This book explores ways to bring both disciplines closer together by building a theoretical and methodological framework to evaluate and integrate archaeological proxy-data in economic history research. Rather than the linear interpretations offered by neoclassical or neomalthusian models, we argue that complexity economics, based on system theory, offers a promising way forward.

“And in Length of Days Understanding” (Job 12:12)
“And in Length of Days Understanding” (Job 12:12)

Author: Erez Ben-Yosef

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-08-01

Total Pages: 1956

ISBN-13: 3031273303

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This two-volume book presents cutting-edge archaeological research, primarily as practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean region. These volumes’ key foci are inspired by the work of Thomas E. Levy. Volume 1 provides an in-depth look at new archaeological research in the southern Levant (primarily in modern Israel and Jordan) inspired by Levy’s commitment to understanding social, political, and economic processes in a long-term or “deep time” perspective. Volume 2 focuses on new research in several key areas of 21st century anthropological archaeology and archaeological science. Volume 1 is organized around two major themes: 1) the later prehistory of the southern Levant, or the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age, and 2) new research in biblical archaeology, or the historical archaeology of the Iron Age. Each section contains a combination of new perspectives on key debates and studies introducing new research questions and directions. Volume 2 is organized around five major themes: 1) the archaeology of the Faynan copper ore district of southern Jordan, a key region for archaeometallurgical research in West Asia where Levy conducted field research for over a decade, 2) new research in archaeometallurgy beyond the Faynan region, 3) marine and maritime archaeology, focusing on issues of trade and environmental change, 4) cyber-archaeology, an important 21st century field Levy conceived as “the marriage of archaeology, engineering, computer science, and the natural sciences,” and 5) key issues in anthropological archaeological theory. In addition to presenting the reader with an up-to-date view of research in each of these areas, the volume also has chapters exploring the connections between these themes, e.g. the maritime trade of metals and cyber-/digital archaeological approaches to metallurgy. The work contains contributions from both up-and-coming early career researchers and key established figures in their fields. This book is an essential reference for archaeologists and scholars in related disciplines working in the southern Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Bringing Down the Iron Curtain
Bringing Down the Iron Curtain

Author: Klára Šabatová

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2020-03-26

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1789694558

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Since the fall of communism, archaeological research in Central and Eastern European countries has seen a large influx of new projects and ideas, fueled by bilateral contacts, Europe-wide circulation of scholars and access to research literature. This volume is the first study which relates these issues specifically to Bronze Age Archaeology.

Mapping Society: Settlement Structure in Later Bronze Age Ireland
Mapping Society: Settlement Structure in Later Bronze Age Ireland

Author: Victoria Ruth Ginn

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2016-01-22

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1784912441

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This study examines Middle–Late Bronze Age (c. 1750–600 BC) domestic settlement patterns in Ireland. The results reveal a distinct rise in the visibility, and a rapid adaption, of domestic architecture, which seems to have occurred earlier in Ireland than elsewhere in western and northern Europe.

Power from Below in Premodern Societies
Power from Below in Premodern Societies

Author: T. L. Thurston

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-10-21

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1009051121

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This volume challenges previous views of social organization focused on elites by offering innovative perspectives on 'power from below.' Using a variety of archaeological, anthropological, and historical data to question traditional narratives of complexity as inextricably linked to top-down power structures, it exemplifies how commoners have developed strategies to sustain non-hierarchical networks and contest the rise of inequalities. Through case studies from around the world – ranging from Europe to New Guinea, and from Mesoamerica to China – an international team of contributors explores the diverse and dynamic nature of power relations in premodern societies. The theoretical models discussed throughout the volume include a reassessment of key concepts such as heterarchy, collective action, and resistance. Thus, the book adds considerable nuance to our understanding of power in the past, and also opens new avenues of reflection that can help inform discussions about our collective present and future.