The Body as Material Culture Hardback: A Theoretical Osteoarchaeology: 4 (Topics in Contemporary Archaeology, Series Number 4) - Tapa dura

'... [Sofaer] thoughtfully appraises the theory of the body. She has tried to do something quite different from other texts on either osteoarchaeology or the theory of dead bodies, and she has succeeded. What is presented is a way of bridging the methodological divide by viewing the skeleton as both a material and a cultural object. ... By shifting 'the body' into the realm of material culture, Sofaer proposes to combine the study of the diversity and biological fluidity of human skeletons with that of their intersubjectivity and materiality. ... For those archaeologists who 'switch off' at the thought of theories of the body, sex, gender and age, this book is an essential read. It is a valuable excursion into how archaeology has conceived and is conceptualising the body as both a biological and a cultural resource. ... manages to convey the theoretical association between bodies and objects in a direct, engaging and thought-provoking way.' Antiquity

'Sofaer's discussion of a 'theoretical osteoarchaeology' is convincing and scholarly ...' Journal of Medieval Archaeology

'This sophisticated integration of constructivist and biological perspectives demonstrates her [the author] ability to draw insights from both 'sides' and she encourages other scholars to do the same. ... Her book is a valuable contribution that provides exciting prospects for osteoarchaeologists who have been striving to incorporate 'anthropology of the body' into their work and it demonstrates a maturing of the discipline. Social anthropologists and archaeologists with interests in anthropology of the body, mortuary practices, gender roles and the changing life course would also benefit from this reading. I think they will be pleasantly surprised by all that osteoarchaeology - of the kind that Sofaer espouses - can offer.' Cambridge Archaeological Journal

Joanna R. Sofaer is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Southampton. As an osteoarchaeologist and prehistorian, she has published widely on human bioarchaeology and European prehistory. Her previous publications include Children and Material Culture (editor) (2000).