Transformation by fire : the archaeology of cremation in cultural context / edited by Ian Kuijt, Colin P. Quinn, and Gabriel Cooney.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kuijt, Ian, editor.

Quinn, Colin P., editor.

Cooney, Gabriel, editor.

Society for American Archaeology. Annual Meeting 2011 : Sacramento, Calif.)

Amerind Foundation

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Amerind studies in anthropology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human remains (Archaeology).

Cremation--Social aspects--History--To 1500.

Cremation.

Funeral rites and ceremonies--History--To 1500.

Funeral rites and ceremonies.

Social archaeology.

Ethnoarchaeology.

Ethnology.

History.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

viii, 322 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Tucson : The University of Arizona Press, 2014.

Summary:

"This edited volume explores crematory practices as both an archaeological phenomenon and social practice, within cultural constructs. This exploration aims to illustrate the need to view cremation as a study of not only mortuary practices, but also of a dynamic social process that deals with 'death, movement of the body, and final deposition of remains' (Kuijt)"--Provided by publisher.

"Ash, bone, and memories are all that remains after cremation. Yet for societies and communities, the act of cremation after death is highly symbolic, rich with complex meaning, touching on what it means to be human. In the process of transforming the dead, the family, the community, and society as a whole create and partake in cultural symbolism. Cremation is a key area of archaeological research, but its complexity has been underappreciated and undertheorized. Transformation by Fire offers a fresh assessment of archaeological research on this widespread social practice. Editors Ian Kuijt, Colin P. Quinn, and Gabriel Cooney's volume examines cremation by documenting the material signatures of cremation events and processes, as well as its transformative impact on social relations and concepts of the body. Indeed, examining why and how people chose to cremate their dead serves as an important means of understanding how people in the past dealt with death, the body, and the social world. The contributors develop new perspectives on cremation as important mortuary practices and social transformations. Varying attitudes and beliefs on cremation and other forms of burial within the same cultural paradigm help us understand what constitutes the body and what occurs during its fiery transformation. In addition, they explore issues and interpretive perspectives in the archaeological study of cremation within and between different cultural contexts. The global and comparative perspectives on cremation render the book a unique contribution to the literature of anthropological and mortuary archaeology"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction. Contextualizing cremations / Colin P. Quinn, Ian Kuijt, and Gabriel Cooney

Part I. Fire and the Body : Reframing Perspectives on Cremation. 1. Perspectives (mini-essay). Complexities of terminologies and intellectual frameworks in cremation studies / Colin P. Quinn, Lynne Goldstein, Gabriel Cooney, and Ian Kuijt

Part II. Connecting Treatments of the Body : Cremation and Inhumation as Social Practices. 2. Perspectives (mini-essay). Socially responsible and culturally conscious approaches to cremations in the New and Old World / Liv Nilsson Stutz and David Hurst Thomas ; 3. Reconcilable differences : cremation, fragmentation, and inhumation in Mesolithic and Neolithic Sweden / Åsa M. Larsson and Liv Nilsson Stutz ; 4. The temporal and cultural contexts of the enigmatic cremations from the Yokem Site, Illinois, USA / Mark R. Schurr and Della Collins Cook ; 5. A well-urned rest : cremation and inhumation in early Anglo-Saxon England / Howard Williams ; 6. Cremation, gender, and concepts of the self in the British Early Bronze Age / Joanna Brück

Part III. Social Impact of Cremation : Transformation, Movement, and the Body. 7. Perspectives (mini-essay). Reflections on the visibility of cremation as a physical event / Liv Nilsson Stutz and Ian Kuijt ; 8. Pathways to personhood : cremation as a social practice among the Tucson Basin Hohokam / Jessica I. Cerezo-Román ; 9. Re/turn : cremation, movement, and re-collection in the Early Bronze Age of Denmark / Tim Flohr Sørensen ; 10. The role of cremation in mortuary practice in the Irish Neolithic / Gabriel Cooney ; 11. Transformation and metaphors : thoughts on cremation practices in the precontact Midwestern United States / Lynne Goldstein and Katy Meyers

Part IV. Reassembling the Pieces : Future Directions. 12. Reflections (mini-essay). Techniques, potential, and challenges of cremations / Mark R. Schurr ; 13. Future directions for the archaeology of cremation / Jessica I. Cerezo-Román and Howard Williams.

Notes:

Outgrowth of a session at the Society for American Archaeology's annual conference held in Sacramento, Califormia, in April 2011. Contributions further developed in a professional workshop seminar at the Amerind Foundation, Dragoon, Arizona, in November 2011 (Acknowledgments)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-307) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

0816531145

9780816531141

OCLC:

876351060

Publisher Number:

99960936590