Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex SocietiesRonald K. Faulseit The Maya. The Romans. The great dynasties of ancient China. It is generally believed that these once mighty empires eventually crumbled and disappeared. A recent trend in archaeology, however, focusing on what happened during and after the decline of once powerful societies has found social resilience and transformation instead of collapse. In Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex Societies, editor Ronald K. Faulseit gathers scholars with diverse theoretical perspectives to present innovative approaches to understanding the decline and reorganization of complex societies. Essays in the book are arranged into five sections. The first section addresses previous research on the subject of collapse and reorganization as well as recent and historic theoretical trends. In the second section, contributors look at collapse and resilience through the concepts of collective action, eventful archaeology, and resilience theory. The third section introduces critical analyses of the effectiveness of resilience theory as a heuristic tool for modeling the phenomena of collapse and resilience. In the fourth section, contributors examine long-term adaptive strategies employed by prehistoric societies to cope with stresses. Essays in the fifth section make connections to contemporary research on post-decline societies in a variety of time periods and geographic locations. Contributors consider collapse and reorganization not as unrelated phenomena but as integral components in the evolution of complex societies. Using archaeological data to interpret how ancient civilizations responded to various stresses—including environmental change, warfare, and the fragmentation of political institutions—contributors discuss not only what leads societies to collapse but also why some societies are resilient and others are not, as well as how societies reorganize after collapse. The implications of the fate of these societies for modern nations cannot be underestimated. Putting in context issues we face today, such as climate change, lack of social diversity, and the failure of modern states, Beyond Collapse is an essential volume for readers interested in human-environment interaction and in the collapse—and subsequent reorganization—of human societies. |
Contents
II Reframing Narratives of Societal Transformation | 41 |
III Resilience Theory and Societal Transformation | 177 |
IV LongTerm Resilience and Adaptive Strategies | 311 |
V Postcollapse Resilience and Reorganization | 405 |
Contributors | 529 |
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adaptive cycle agricultural Ancient Anthropology Archaeology Archaic architecture Arizona Press ballcourt basin burials Cahokia central ceramic Cerro Chaco Canyon Chen Cibola region Classic Maya Classic period Climate collapse complex societies craft production cultural decline diversity Early earthworks Ecological economic edited elites Empire environment environmental evidence excavations Faulseit Feinman Figure Florida groups Gunderson Hegmon History Holling households Human interaction la Chimba landscape Late Classic Lieberman located Louisiana lowlands McAnany Mesoamerica Mexico Middle Horizon Mimbres Mississippi Monte Albán monumental mortuary contexts mounds Nasca North northern San Juan Olmec palatial panarchy Pauketat Perspectives phase plaza political population Postclassic Prehistoric Redman regeneration reorganization resilience theory ritual Roman settlement social sociopolitical southeastern Louisiana Southern Southwest structures suggest Teotihuacan Terminal Classic tion Tiwanaku traditions transformation Tres Zapotes Tucson Tula Tumilaca la Chimba Ucí University of Arizona Valley of Oaxaca Wang Mang Yellow River Yoffee