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Cited by 29Historical and Cultural Archaeology StudiesPhilosophy, History, and HistoriographyPolitical Economy and Marxism

The political economy of archaeological cultures: Marxism and American historical archaeology

Matthews, Christopher N., Leone, Mark P., Jordan, Kurt A.·2002·Journal of Social Archaeology
DOI 10.1177/1469605302002001599
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Abstract

The application of Marxist theory in American historical archaeology has expanded greatly over the past 20 years. More than just a theoretical tool, the rise of Marxism reflects an emerging consciousness within historical archaeology that its subject matter is capitalism, an interest obviously shared with Marx himself. We propose, however, that historical archaeology has proceeded to study the emergence of the modern culture of capitalism without engaging Marx’s critique of the political economy of cultural production in any direct way. Instead, much of historical archaeology reifies past cultural formations in place of maintaining a focus on the dialectical social processes through which those formations emerged. We illustrate how a Marxist approach to cultural production improves the foundational historical archaeologies of the colonial American state and African-American ethnogenesis and is the basis for archaeologically-based critiques of dominant American society.

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Corrigan, P., 1985, The Great Arch
  2. Glassie, H., 1975, Folk Housing in Middle Virginia
  3. Harmon, J., 2000, Archaeological Investigations at the James Brice House (18AP38): A National Historic Landmark Site. Annapolis, Maryland
  4. Hodder, I., 1983, Symbols in Action
  5. Jordan, D.W. (1966) ‘The Royal Period of Colonial Maryland, 1689-1715’, PhD dissertation, Department of History, Princeton University, NJ.
  6. Leone, M.P., Spirit Management Among Americans of African Descent
  7. Logan, G.C., 1992, 1991 Archaeological Excavations at the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Maryland, 18AP45
  8. Paynter, R., 1991, The Archaeology of Inequality, 1
  9. Yentsch, A.E., 1991, The Archaeology of Inequality, 192
  10. Yentsch, A.E., 1992, The Art and Mystery of Historical Archaeology: Essays in Honor of James Deetz, 253

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Related

Authors
Matthews, C. N., Leone, M. P., & Jordan, K. A.
Affiliations
  • Hofstra University (US)
  • University of Maryland, College Park (US)
  • Columbia University (US)
Venue
Journal of Social Archaeology
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2002-02
Volume
2
Issue
1
Pages
109-134
ISSN
  • 1469-6053 (ISSN-L)
  • 1741-2951
DOI
10.1177/1469605302002001599
OpenAlex
W2016820378
Cited by
29
References
73
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
1.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Journal of Social Archaeology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Philosophy, History, and Historiography
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Economy and Marxism
Keywords
Marxist theory, historical archaeology, capitalism, reification, critique of American society, archaeological culture

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