Books published by Left Coast Press Inc

Critical approaches to qualitative research have made a significant impact on research practice over the past decade. This comprehensive volume of contemporary, original articles places this trend in its historical context, describes the current landscape of critical work, and considers the future of this turn.

Provides a framework for understanding and studying social and ecological systems. This book, featuring contributors from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including archaeology, anthropology, geography, ecology, palaeo-science, geology, sociology, and history, presents and assesses both the evolution of our thinking and research.

Provides an accessible introduction to statistical thinking for anthropologists and other social scientists who feel some mixture of dread and loathing when it comes to quantification and data analysis. It is not so much an introduction to statistics as a primer on how to think statistically in order to do precise ethnographic studies.

Nicola Bulled's in-depth ethnographic account of how HIV prevention messages are selected, transmitted, and reacted to by young adults in the AIDS-torn population of Lesotho provides a crucial example of the importance of a culture-centered approach to health communication.

Authors engage with contemporary anthropological, historical and archaeological perspectives to examine how ideas of self-understanding, belonging, and difference in ancient Africa were made and unmade in their intersection with other salient domains of social experience: states, landscapes, discourses, memory, technology, politics, and power.

Explores the relationships between people and the places of former industry through approaches which incorporate and critique memory-work.

This book examines the profound impacts of the Smithsonian Institution¿s River Basin Surveys and the Interagency Archeological Salvage Program (1945¿1969) on the development of American archaeology.

This critical history of Peruvian archaeology makes a significant contribution to Andean archaeology, to the history of archaeology, and to our understanding of the social context of research.

Famous Brazilian educational and social theorist Paulo Freire presents his ideas on community solidarity in moving toward social justice in schools and society in a set of talks and interviews shortly before his death, supplemented with commentaries by other well-known scholars.

This is the first summary of archaeological contributions to our understanding of the War of 1812 by examining recent excavations and field surveys on fortifications, encampments, landscapes, shipwrecks, and battles in the different regions of the United States and Canada.

Teaching the basic principles of archaeology through an "excavation" and analysis of New Orleans Mardi Gras parades and the beads thrown there? A student's dream book! Award-winning historical archaeologist Laurie Wilkie takes her two loves and merges them into a brief, lively introductory textbook that is sure to actively engage students. She shows how her analysis of trinkets tossed from parade floats can illustrate major themes taught in introductory archaeology classes-from methods to economy, social identity to political power-introduced in a concrete, entertaining way. The strength of Wilkie's book is in showing how different theoretical models used by archaeologists lead to different research questions and different answers. The textbook covers all the major themes expected of brief introductory texts but is one that students will want to read.

A robust guide to practicing ethnographic research in the private sector.

A major revision and expansion of Taylor's seminal book Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspective , again providing a benchmark for the method and critically reflecting on the data that underpins the chronologies used to understand the prehistoric archaeological record.

Weaving autoethnography, theoretical exposition, and a close examination of social trends, distinguished scholar Arthur P. Bochner shows how the theoretical paradigms in the human sciences have developed and changed over the past four decades.

In this masterful, summative work, David L. Altheide describes how media formats and media logic shape our expectations of, and reactions to, both public and personal events and its implications for living in a contemporary world.

Synthesizes the flourishing field of anthropology of infectious disease in a critical, biocultural framework, advancing research in this multifaceted area and offering an ideal supplemental text.

This new edition of this definitive work on doing paleoethnobotany brings the book up to date by incorporating new methods and examples of research, and preserves the overall organization and approach of the book to facilitate its use as a textbook.

The author draws on long-term ethnographic fieldwork to delve into the anthropological, sociological, political, historical, and cultural factors that drive the burgeoning business of ghost or paranormal tourism.

Arthur Asa Berger is back with the second edition of his popular, user-friendly guide for students who want to understand the social meanings of objects.

Archaeology for whom? The dozen well-known contributors to this innovative volume suggest nothing less than that transformation of the discipline into a service-oriented, community-based endeavor.

Marshalling decades of research on cultures across several continents, E. N. Anderson, a leading writer and scholar in human ecology and anthropology, shows how practicing environmental sustainability depends primarily on social and emotional engagements.

This volume shows how scholars take qualitative inquiry into the outside world, presenting models, cases, and experiences to show how qualitative research can be used as an effective instrument for social justice.

This is the first book for museum professionals that focuses on this intersection between museum programming and early childhood education.

Packed with valuable ideas and case studies to help increase museum visitation and museum store sales, this valuable resource is a must for everyone in the business of connecting people with the cultural wealth of our museums and parks.

Using examples as diverse as Egyptian mummies, Celtic tombs, Native American ceremonial bundles, and contemporary African textiles, twelve archaeologist and anthropologist contributors show how acts of wrapping and unwrapping are embedded in beliefs and thoughts of a particular time and place.

Numbers by the Book is a well-executed road map of the financial side of museum retailing. From cash flow to purchasing to delegation of tasks, this practical pocket guide should be in the hands of every museum store manager!