Cooperative and Noncooperative Transitions in the Archaeological Record

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Cooperative and Noncooperative Transitions in the Archaeological Record" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

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Selfishness and despotism were once considered the prime drivers of social complexity in premodern societies, and democracy was imagined as a modern and “Western” invention. However, recent theory driven by Richard Blanton, Gary Feinman, and others has revealed that these notions are couched in Orientalism and ethnocentrism—many ancient societies were more cooperative from the onset. Governance changes through time. In the past, as in today, tensions exist between good governance (with a focus on the greater good) and despotism (with a focus on the ruling elite). Of course, societies are not one or the other but exist along a continuum. Some societies are more cooperative, and others are more despotic. For various reasons, the organization can change over time. At some times in history, such as in 19<sup>th</sup> century France, such shifts can be sudden and extreme. At other times, they can be gradual or even approach a near stasis. The papers of this session consider archaeological evidence of the tension between despotism and cooperation (or lack thereof) in various parts of the world.

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Other Keywords
Warfare • Violence • Monumentality • Social and Political Organization • and Conflict • Worldwide

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