University of Florida Press Investigating the Ordinary: Everyday Matters in Southeast Archaeology (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series)

Review "Encourages archaeologists to consider the complexities of everyday life, and to recognize that the practices, animals, and materials that people engage with on a daily basis have important effects in the broader sociocultural context."--Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology Product Description "Makes the case that the everyday should and does matter in archaeology. The content is fresh, the approaches are varied, and the case is convincing."-Adam King, editor of Archaeology in South Carolina: Exploring the Hidden Heritage of the Palmetto State Focusing on the daily concerns and routine events of people in the past, Investigating the Ordinary argues for a paradigm shift in the way southeastern archaeologists operate. Instead of dividing archaeological work by time periods or artifact types, the essays in this volume unite separate areas of research through the theme of the everyday. Ordinary activities studied here range from flint-knapping to ceremonial crafting, from subsistence to social gatherings, and from the Paleoindian period to the nineteenth century. Contributors demonstrate that attention to everyday life can help researchers avoid overemphasizing data and jargon and instead discover connections between the people of different eras. This approach will also inspire archaeologists with ways to engage the public with their work and with the deep history of the southeastern United States. About the Author Sarah E. Price, senior archaeologist with Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting, is coeditor of Contemporary Lithic Analysis in the Southeast: Problems, Solutions, and Interpretations.Philip J. Carr, professor of anthropology at the University of South Alabama, is coeditor of Signs of Power: The Rise of Cultural Complexity in the Southeast.