The Archaeology of Trade and Exchange

3 units

Studies of trade and exchange are fundamental to our past, as cultures in contact result in new imaginings of self, communities, and place in the world. This course engages in archaeological and anthropological discussions about the interconnectedness that results from trade. This seminar concentrates on the discourse of material trade and the mechanisms for exchange, redistribution, dependency, and resistance. It also examines the immaterial exchange of ideas, perceptions, and values that alter concepts of identity, space, and time. Globalization, political economies, and power are also addressed, along with ideas about territory, value, and social and political consequences of trade.