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Style, Society, and Person pp 151–170Cite as

Building a Unified Middle-Range Theory of Artifact Design

Historical Perspectives and Tactics

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Part of the book series: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology ((IDCA))

Abstract

In a benchmark article on artifact style, Polly Wiessner (1983:273) lamented over the inability of archaeologists to predict, a priori, the particular formal attributes of an artifact that reflect specific behavioral processes, such as social interaction or the communication of identity. She concluded from her rigorous analysis of Kalahari San projectile points that relationships between process and form appear to result from historical events rather than to follow coherent principles.

All growth involves integrating apparent opposites.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287, USA

    Christopher Carr

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  1. Christopher Carr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287, USA

    Christopher Carr

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA

    Jill E. Neitzel

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Carr, C. (1995). Building a Unified Middle-Range Theory of Artifact Design. In: Carr, C., Neitzel, J.E. (eds) Style, Society, and Person. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1097-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1097-4_6

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