Essential Tensions: A Framework for Exploring Inequality Through Mortuary Archaeology and Bioarchaeology

• Authors: Colin P. Quinn , Jess Beck
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Research on the emergence of institutionalized inequality has traditionally maintained an analytical divide between lived institutions that affect daily life and performed institutions materialized in mortuary contexts. Here, we argue that convergence or divergence between lived and performed contexts reveals key aspects of past social organization. When combined, mortuary archaeology and bioarchaeology provide a methodological framework well suited to evaluate the coherence or dissonance of such institutions. Three case studies from prehistoric Europe highlight how new insights gained by studying tension between institutions, identities and experiences across social dimensions can transform our understanding of the development of institutionalized inequality.

Keywords

EN

Social organization; human osteology; coherence; dissonance; Neolithic; Copper Age; BronzeAge; Iberia; Ireland; Transylvania

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Open Archaeology
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1

Dates

received

2015-08-15

accepted

2016-03-01

online

2016-05-16

Contributors

author

Colin P. Quinn

• Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA

author

Jess Beck

• Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/opar-2016-0002