What is agency theory in archaeology?
What is agency theory in archaeology?
Book Description. Agency in Archaeology is the first critical volume to scrutinise the concept of agency and to examine in-depth its potential to inform our understanding of the past. Theories of agency recognise that human beings make choices, hold intentions and take action.
What is materiality archaeology?
Archaeology is about materiality; it is the study of the thingness of things and their impact or agency with regard to people’s lives and thoughts. This inevitably makes archaeological studies of materiality a subset of a broader global study of materiality both in the past and in the present.
What is critical theory archaeology?
Critical theory, as used by archaeologists, explores the relationship between our knowledge of the past and the context of its production. It urges scholars to question who they are working for and the ways in which their interpretations can be used in the present.
What is agency history?
The concept of historical agency enables students to understand the actions of people in the past as decisions made from a range of choices, in order to compare and contrast with their own daily lives. Many historical accounts distort the choices of historical agents, which can make it.
What is archaeological analysis?
Compositional analysis in archaeology involves the analysis and interpretation of chemical fingerprints obtained from archaeological materials. The information is used to locate the sources of raw materials, discover production sites, and research the technologies used to manufacture artifacts.
What is Introduction to archaeology?
Introduction to Archaeology provides teachers and students with background on the field of archaeology as well as the work that archaeologists do. This section also includes A Career in Archaeology by Professor Andrea Berlin, a glossary of archaeological terms, and a bibliography of archaeology books.
What is the theory of agency in archaeology?
Agency in Archaeology. “accepted to be the way in which societies structures inhabit and empower agents, those agents’ aims, ideals and desires and the material conditions of social life.” To aid in understanding the theory of agency this article will address certain criteria that will allow for a better comprehension of what agency actually is,…
What is the core principle behind the concept of agency?
It could be considered that the core principle behind agency is that of examination of individual people and associated interaction with objects, structures and society.
What is an agency relationship?
Jensen and Meckling (1976) define an agency relationship as a contract by which one or more persons (the principal) hire another person (the agent) to perform some service on their behalf, giving the agent some of their decision-making power.
Do objects have agency in the world?
Objects, she also states, are made to act upon the world and on other persons; otherwise, they would not be created. Therefore, objects do indeed possess an innate agency given to them by humans that allows them to affect change (Hoskins, 75).
