Overview

People have long been fascinated about times in human history when different cultures and societies first came into con­tact with each other, how they reacted to that contact, and why it sometimes oc­curred peacefully and at other times was violent or catastrophic. Studies in Culture Contact: Interaction, Culture Change, and Archaeology, edited by James G. Cusick, seeks to define the role of culture contact in human history, to identify issues in the study of culture contact in archaeology, and to provide a critical overview of the major theoretical approaches to the study of culture and contact. Contributors consider three forms of culture contact—colonization, cultural en­tanglement, and symmetrical exchange. Part I provides a critical overview of theo­retical approaches to the study of culture contact, while Part II contains eleven case studies of specific contact situations and their relationships to the archaeological record. Studies in Culture Contact pro­vides an extensive review of the history of culture contact in anthropological stud­ies and develops a broad framework for studying culture contact’s role, moving beyond a simple formulation of contact and change to a more complex under­standing of the amalgam of change and continuity in contact situations.

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9780809334094

Table of Contents

Reviews

The collection presents a useful compendium of recent scholarship on culture contact studies in archaeology. Its broad coverage is its major strength and one that makes it a welcome addition to the literature on culture contact. Intended as a primer, the volume more than fulfills its goal. --Patricia E. Rubertone, American Anthropologist, March 2000, Vol. 102, No. 1 [This book] span[s] an impressive temporal and geographical spread. This diversity allows an especially rich perspective on the archaeology of contact.... This compendium integrates much of the current thought on culture contact. Perhaps more importantly, it opens a discourse between prehistorians and historical archaeologists; we must transcend this artificial boundary in our profession if we hope to understand this very crucial process of culture contact. --Susan Dublin, Historical Archaeology, 1999 This volume provides a valuable overview of both contemporary Old- and New-World culture contact studies, competing points of view on world systems models, and an extensive review of the history of anthropological studies of culture contact. --David F. Mora-Marin, Latin American Antiquity, 2000, Vol. 11, No. 2

The collection presents a useful compendium of recent scholarship on culture contact studies in archaeology. Its broad coverage is its major strength and one that makes it a welcome addition to the literature on culture contact. Intended as a primer, the volume more than fulfills its goal. --Patricia E. Rubertone, American Anthropologist, March 2000, Vol. 102, No. 1 [This book] span[s] an impressive temporal and geographical spread. This diversity allows an especially rich perspective on the archaeology of contact.... This compendium integrates much of the current thought on culture contact. Perhaps more importantly, it opens a discourse between prehistorians and historical archaeologists; we must transcend this artificial boundary in our profession if we hope to understand this very crucial process of culture contact. --Susan Dublin, Historical Archaeology, 1999 This volume provides a valuable overview of both contemporary Old- and New-World culture contact studies, competing points of view on world systems models, and an extensive review of the history of anthropological studies of culture contact. --David F. Mora-Marin, Latin American Antiquity, 2000, Vol. 11, No. 2

The collection presents a useful compendium of recent scholarship on culture contact studies in archaeology. Its broad coverage is its major strength and one that makes it a welcome addition to the literature on culture contact. Intended as a primer, the volume more than fulfills its goal. Patricia E. Rubertone, American Anthropologist, March 2000, Vol. 102, No. 1 [This book] span[s] an impressive temporal and geographical spread. This diversity allows an especially rich perspective on the archaeology of contact . This compendium integrates much of the current thought on culture contact. Perhaps more importantly, it opens a discourse between prehistorians and historical archaeologists; we must transcend this artificial boundary in our profession if we hope to understand this very crucial process of culture contact. Susan Dublin, Historical Archaeology, 1999 This volume provides a valuable overview of both contemporary Old- and New-World culture contact studies, competing points of view on world systems models, and an extensive review of the history of anthropological studies of culture contact. David F. Mora-Marin, Latin American Antiquity, 2000, Vol. 11, No. 2

Author Information

James G. Cusick is curator of the P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History at the University of Florida, USA and author of The Other War of 1812: The Patriot War and the American Invasion of Spanish East Florida.

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