The Ghost of Functionalism

Summary

This paper considers the assumptions, limitations, and greater implications that a theory of integration-disintegration has for analyzing social change across space and time. It reviews the historical foundations of the concept of integration as it emerged in enlightenment social theory and considers how the concept of integration has been repeatedly and uncritically co-opted into various discourses of archaeological theory. An alternative framework for thinking about social change will be offered and the context of the Yaxuna-Coba causeway will serve as an example to illustrate the various strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches for positing possible pathways of economic development.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Integrating and Disintegrating in Central Yucatán: Archaeological Approaches to Social Change at Multiple Scales

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16477