Alberti, Jones, and Pollard offer this volume on archaeological interpretations, with the "after" indicating that the archaeologist is situated as one working with interpretations already partially formed. Part I discusses relational ontologies, presented in opposition to the more common substance ontologies. Miniaturization, social meanings of Californian rock art, emergent symbolism of snakes, and unstable contexts of domesticity in the Andes are analyzed as examples. Materials are the focus of Part II, exposing how matter has its own influence on human behavior rather than merely being used, and engaging such ideas as skeuomorphy, mimesis, and coevolution. Part III explores the ways in which assemblages of objects carry social meaning beyond and in dialogue with the objects themselves. Finally, Part IV explicitly questions representation as a paradigm for artistic interpretation, and contrasts the interpretations generated by representational, semiotic, and process-oriented modes of observation. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
This volume marks a significant departure from previous symbolic approaches in post-processual archaeology, bringing together key scholars advancing a variety of cutting edge approaches to chart a new direction in material culture studies.
