Description:
Serious interest in the evolution and dynamics of intermediate societies has grown by leaps and bounds during the past decade. The purpose of this volume is to suggest new ways to model the many stimuli and processes by which cultural complexity emerges, emphasizing major organizational changes, not the appearance and disappearance of specific traits.
Brief description:
Jeanne E. Arnold is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has published extensively on the history of the American Pacific Coast, focusing on Native American community and household organization, specialized labor and occupations, and the emergence of hierarchical socioeconomic and political relationships in traditional societies.
Review Quotes: a rousing and comprehensive exploration of key issues in the origins of social complexity. --Elizabeth S. Chilton "Elizabeth S. Chilton ""