Premium
Anthropological Archaeology in 2012: Mobility, Economy, and Transformation
Author(s) -
Kahn Jennifer G.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1111/aman.12007
Subject(s) - adaptability , natural (archaeology) , prehistory , economic geography , environmental ethics , sociology , humanity , diversity (politics) , climate change , human ecology , environmental change , face (sociological concept) , economy , history , ecology , geography , political science , social science , archaeology , anthropology , economics , law , philosophy , biology
In 2012, archaeologists continued to grapple with large questions concerning process and structure and how they shaped the nature of humanity. The movement of populations, ideas, and material culture stands out prominently, including mobility's role in promoting social change and how forms of travel and communication, such as pilgrimages or long‐distance trade, promoted social interaction. Research concerning the structure of ancient economies acknowledges the amazing diversity within which prehistoric communities organized food production and material goods manufacture and exchange. Social complexity as transformation illustrates how local histories supported alternative pathways to power and how factors such as climate change and environmental limitations might have affected long‐term social histories. Finally, there is ongoing interest in modeling human–environmental interactions—in particular, human adaptability in the face of climate change and natural disasters and how particular cultural and natural elements allowed certain societies to be resilient and sustainable in the long term.