Interacting with the Dead
Subtitle
Perspectives on Mortuary Archaeology for the New Millennium
Edited by Sloan Williams, Lane Beck, Jane Buikstra and Gordon Rakita
This collection explores the behavioral and social facets of funerary, mortuary and burial rites in both past and present societies. By utilizing data from around the world and combining recent and ongoing concerns in anthropology, it takes the study of mortuary archaeology to a new and significant level of interdisciplinary research.
Drawing inspiration from ethnohistory, ethnography, bioarchaeology and sociocultural anthropology, the authors focus on themes of gender, ancestorhood, ritual violence, individual agency, space and placement, and extended and secondary mortuary ceremonialism. They also expand the interdisciplinary focus of mortuary practices and reassess previous anthropological theories. No previously published work on the archaeology of mortuary remains presents such a range of examples of ritual practices through time and around the globe.
Because of its wide scope and interdisciplinary approach, "Interacting with the Dead" will be indispensable not only to archaeologists and anthropologists but also across the social sciences and humanities and to all who study cross-cultural rituals.
Bio
Jane Buikstra is a Regents' Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. Her research encompasses bioarchaeology, paleopathology, forensic anthropology and paleodemography. Among her current work is an investigation of the evolutionary history of ancient tuberculosis in the Americas based on archaeologically recovered pathogen DNA.
Praise for this book
The impressive geographical, temporal and topical coverage makes this volume by far the best of its kind to appear in recent years.
George R. Milner Pennsylvania State University
“A kaleidoscopic collection of studies with fascinating insights into the myriad and bizarre ways that our species has treated its dead … global coverage of human interactions with our dead, past and present … an indispensable reference for all scholars interested in death and burial.”
Michael Parker Pearson University of Sheffield
