Transformation without Collapse: Two Cases from the U.S. Southwest (original) (raw)

Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex Societies, 2015

Abstract

Archaeologists now recognize that many societies undergo major transformations that do not fit the classic model of collapse. Our comparative study of cases in the US Southwest and northern Mexico has identified various kinds of transformations, including reorganizations that allow a transformed society to continue (e.g., continuity with change and transformative relocation) as well as complete social upheavals (i.e., “collapse”). We are also investigating underlying factors, especially those contributing to reorganization and continuity. Recent work found a general association between social conformity – indicated by a lack of material culture diversity – and severe transformations. This finding suggests that the converse – that is, diversity in various social realms – may contribute to less severe, non-collapse transformations. This paper evaluates that hypothesis through the comparison of two cases and the kinds of diversity involved in each. Specifically, we examine cooking technology, household organization, subsistence practices, local ceramic production and interregional interaction as distinct social realms. Our cases include the Pueblo III to Pueblo IV transition in the Zuni region (ca. AD 1275) as continuity with change and the Classic to Postclassic transition in the Mimbres region (ca. AD 1130) as transformative relocation. Our results allow us to clarify the influence social diversity may have on the type of transformation(s) to which a society is vulnerable. The analysis has implications for modern society by determining the vulnerabilities associated with social diversity, while acknowledging the trade-offs that accompany such decisions.

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