Read more
Archaeologists have often used the term ideology to vaguely refer to a "realm of ideas." Scholars from Marx to Zizek have developed a sharper concept, arguing that ideology works by representing--or misrepresenting--power relations through concealment, enhancement, or transformation of real social relations between groups.
Ideologies in Archaeology examines the role of ideology in this latter sense as it pertains to both the practice and the content of archaeological studies. This is the first work to address in any detail the mutual relationship between ideologies of the past and present ideological conditions producing archaeological knowledge.
Contributors to this volume focus on elements of life in past societies that "went without saying" and uncover complex manipulations of power that have often gone unrecognized. They show that Occam's razor--the tendency to favor simpler explanations--is sometimes just an excuse to avoid dealing with the historical world in its full complexity.
About the author
Reinhard Bernbeck is a professor at the Institut für Vorderasia-tische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin. He is the editor of several volumes, including
Archaeologies of the Middle East: Critical Perspectives. He also serves on the advisory board for the journal
Archaeologies. Randall H. McGuire is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is the author of several books, including
Archaeology as Political Action.
