The Social Construction of Communities Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest

"The Social Construction of Communities draws on the archaeology of the southwestern United States to examine how communities are created through social interaction. The archeological record of the Southwest is unparalleled in many respects, including its precise dating, exceptional preservation, unusually large number of sites, millenia-long occupation, intensive research, detailed environmental reconstructions, and the link between ancestral and modern Pueblo people. Taking advantage of the rich archaeological record, the contributors present case studies of the Mesa Verde, Rio Grande, Kayenta, Mogollon, and Hohokam regions. Each case study draws on a wide range of archaeological data to tease out the details of social interaction that result in the social construction of communities. Modern social theory is used to examine each case, producing an enhances understanding of the ancient Southwest, a new appreciation for the ways in which humans construct communities and transform society, and an expanded theoretical discussion of the foundational concepts of modern social theory."--BOOK JACKET.

Mark D. Varien is director of research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center and the author of Sedentism and Mobility in a Social Landscape: Mesa Verde and Beyond (1999) James M. Potter is the senior scientist in archaeology at SWCA, Inc., and author of Prehistory in West Prescott, Arizona (2005)