The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism

Author:   Sarah Cowie
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Edition:   2011 ed.
ISBN:  

9781441983053


Pages:   210
Publication Date:   21 February 2011
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $340.56 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The Plurality of Power: An Archaeology of Industrial Capitalism


Add your own review!

Overview

How do people experience power within capitalist societies?  Research presented here explicitly addresses the notion of pluralistic power, which encompasses both productive and oppressive forms of power and acknowledges that nuanced and multifaceted power relations can exist in combination with binary dynamics such as domination and resistance.  This volume addresses growing interests in linking past and present power relationships engendered by capitalism and in conducting historical archaeology as anthropology.    The Plurality of Power: Industrial Capitalism and the Nineteenth-Century Company Town of Fayette, Michigan, explores the subtle distribution of power within American industrial capitalism through a case study of a company town.  Issues surrounding power and agency are explored in regard to three heuristic categories of power.  In the first category, the company imposed a system of structural, class-based power that is most visible in hierarchical differences in pay and housing, as well as consumer behavior.  A second category addresses disciplinary activities surrounding health and the human body, as observed in the built environment, medical artifacts, disposal patterns of industrial waste, incidence of intestinal parasites, and unequal access to healthcare. The third ensemble of power relations is heterarcical and entwined with non-economic capital (social, symbolic, and cultural).  Individuals and groups drew upon different forms of capital to bolster social status and express identity both within and apart from the corporate hierarchy. The goal in combining these diverse ideas is to explore the plurality of power relationships in past industrial contexts and to assert their relevance in the anthropology of capitalism.   

Full Product Details

Author:   Sarah Cowie
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Edition:   2011 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.080kg
ISBN:  

9781441983053


ISBN 10:   1441983058
Pages:   210
Publication Date:   21 February 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. the plurality of power in industrial capitalism: a case study of fayette, michigan.-chapter 2. working communities and the victorian-american company town.-chapter 3.  critically reading power, landscapes, documents, and artifacts in industrialized society.-chapter 4.  paternalism, resistance, and hegemony.-chapter 5.  the class system.-chapter 6.  bio-power: discipline, symbolic violence, and the privilege of hygiene.-chapter 7.  social status and intersectional identities: consumer behavior, gender, and immigration.-chapter 8 symbolic, cultural, and social capital.-chapter 9.  conclusion: power and industrial capitalism, past and present.

Reviews

The Plurality of Power adds to a growing corpus of literature centered on the archaeological investigation of capitalism. ... her discussion of subtle forms of power is without a doubt the strongest contribution of her volume ... . The Plurality of Power will motivate readers to think critically about the archives they pursue in constructing their narratives about the past and instruct them on how to glean the various power relationships from seemingly limited materials. (Bradley D. Phillippi, Historical Archaeology, Vol. 52, 2018)


Author Information

The author received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 2008, with a major in archaeology and a minor in sociocultural anthropology. Her M.S. in Industrial Archaeology is from Michigan Technological University. She also has over a decade of experience working in cultural resource management around the United States.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

wl

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List