Brian M. Fagan

Christopher R. DeCorse

An Introduction to Archaeology

In the Beginning

Reveals how the expanding world-system entangled the non-western world in global economies, yet did so in ways that were locally articulated, varied, and, often, non-European in their expression. This interdisciplinary volume brings together a richly substantive collection of case studies that examine European-indigene interactions, economic relations, and their materialities in the formation of the modern world. Research has demonstrated the extent and complexity of the varied local economic and political systems, and diverse social formations that predated European contact. These preexisting systems articulated with the expanding European economy and, in doing so, shaped its emergence. Moving beyond the confines of national or Atlantic histories to examine regional systems and their historical trajectories on a global scale, the studies within this volume draw examples from the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, North America, South America, Africa, and South Asia. While the contributions are rooted in substantive studies from different world areas, their overarching aim is to negotiate between global and local frames, revealing how the expanding world-system entangled the non-Western world in global economies, yet did so in ways that were locally articulated, varied and, often, non-European in their expression. Christopher DeCorse is Professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University. He is the author of several books, including Anthropology: A Global Perspective and Anthropology: The Basics.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Power, Political Economy, and Historical Landscapes of the Modern World

Zachary J. M. Beier

This book is about the diverse communities associated with English and British forts of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It casts new light on forts and their communities by asking new questions and applying innovative methodological approaches.

Christopher R. DeCorse

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