Modes of Production and Archaeology

Contributors to this volume explain how archaeologists can use Karl Marx and Frederick Engels’ mode of production concept to study long-term patterns in human society. Mode of production analysis links economy, politics, and ideology by describing how labor is organized to create surplus that is then used for political purposes. This type of analysis allows archaeologists to compare and contrast peoples across distant continents and eras, from egalitarian hunter-gatherer groups to early agriculturalists to nation-states, in order to analyze changes in economic systems, social structure, and culture. Presenting a range of different perspectives from researchers working in a wide variety of societies and time periods, this volume clearly demonstrates why historical materialism matters to the field of archaeology.