Shaping Culture

Description

Archaeological theory has moved beyond a simple desire to explain distribution patterns and past economies to include a consideration of individual agency within wider social structures. Many acts which we might see as subsistence activities (such as building a house, cleaning a canal, or going on a trading trip) have a major effect on people’s social relations and are also rich in cultural meaning and ritual significance. This book is an exploration of how pottery is embedded within wider activities and cultural understandings of present-day Andean society, and how the rhythm of exchange practices with different materials and within different social groups sets up a framework through which people experience and interpret the world around them. It hoped that this will enable other researchers to better investigate similar types of interconnections within the specifics of their own data.