The Archaeology of Personhood: An Anthropological Approach

The Archaeology of Personhoodexamines the characteristics that define a person as a category of being, highlights how definitions of personhood are culturally variable, and explores how that variation is connected to human uses of material culture. Applying an anthropological approach to detailed case studies from European prehistoric archaeology, the book explores the connection between people, animals, objects, their societies, and environments, and investigates the relationship that jointly produces bodies, persons, communities, and artifacts. Bringing together a wealth of research in social and cultural anthropology, philosophy, and related fields, this is the first book to address the contribution that an understanding of personhood can make to our interpretations of the past.

Chris Fowler lectures at the University of Manchester. He is a specialist in the British Neolithic and archaeological theory.