Strung Out on Archaeology: An Introduction to Archaeological Research - Paperback

by Laurie A. Wilkie (Author)

Teaching the basic principles of archaeology through an "excavation" and analysis of New Orleans Mardi Gras parades and the beads thrown there? A student's dream book! Award-winning historical archaeologist Laurie Wilkie takes her two loves and merges them into a brief, lively introductory textbook that is sure to actively engage students. She shows how her analysis of trinkets tossed from parade floats can illustrate major themes taught in introductory archaeology classes--from methods to economy, social identity to political power--introduced in a concrete, entertaining way. The strength of Wilkie's book is in showing how different theoretical models used by archaeologists lead to different research questions and different answers. The textbook covers all the major themes expected of brief introductory texts but is one that students will want to read.

Author Biography

Laurie A. Wilkie is an historical archaeologist who completed her undergraduate work at Syracuse University and her MA and PhD at UCLA. She taught in southern Louisiana, where she has began her research on Mardi Gras celebrations, a project that has stretched over two decades. She joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Wilkie is author of Creating Freedom (LSU Press: 2000), The Archaeology of Mothering (Routledge: 2003), Sampling Many Pots (with Paul Farnsworth, University of Florida Press: 2005), and the The Lost Boys of Zeta Psi (University of California Press: 2010). Her books have twice won James Deetz Book Award from the Society for Historical Archaeology, as well as the James Mooney Book Award from the Society of Southern Anthropology, and honorable mention for the Victor Turner Ethnographic Writing prize.