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Social, Political and Economic Theory in Archaeology

Code: 106850
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Archaeology FB 1

Contact lecturer

Name :
Marian Berihuete Azorin
Email :
marian.berihuete@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Borja Antela Bernardez

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There is no requirement to take the course. However, an approach to current modern and postmodern critical thinking is also desirable.

Objectives

The course aims to introduce students to the theoretical, epistemological, and methodological foundations of archaeology as a scientific discipline. It also seeks to provide the conceptual tools necessary to understand archaeology's capacity to analyse and interpret past societies, as well as the processes involved in the production, validation, and interpretation of archaeological knowledge.

Learning outcomes

  • CM05 (Innovatively apply the theoretical and methodological procedures of archaeology to society's demands.) Innovatively apply the theoretical and methodological procedures of archaeology to society's demands.
  • CM06 (Recognise the ethical and social implications of the different approaches and theoretical proposals of archaeology to adapt the analysis to the demands of democratic values and practices without ideological manipulation.) Recognise the ethical and social implications of the different approaches and theoretical proposals of archaeology to adapt the analysis to the demands of democratic values and practices without ideological manipulation.
  • CM07 (Propose a theoretical and methodological conceptualisation of archaeology that is consistent with inclusive and non-sexist perspectives of the past.) Propose a theoretical and methodological conceptualisation of archaeology that is consistent with inclusive and non-sexist perspectives of the past.
  • KM07 (Recognise the structure of archaeology as a science both on a theoretical (epistemological and ontological) and methodological level based on its theoretical diversity and the main current debates.) Recognise the structure of archaeology as a science both on a theoretical (epistemological and ontological) and methodological level based on its theoretical diversity and the main current debates.
  • KM08 (Identify the contributions of disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economic theory, geography, epistemology and the philosophy of science to archaeological theory.) Identify the contributions of disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, economic theory, geography, epistemology and the philosophy of science to archaeological theory.
  • KM09 (Recognise the main androcentric biases in archaeological accounts and, specifically, in the ontological categories of social studies to develop inclusive analysis that incorporates relevant issues in relation to women.) Recognise the main androcentric biases in archaeological accounts and, specifically, in the ontological categories of social studies to develop inclusive analysis that incorporates relevant issues in relation to women.
  • SM07 (Apply the logical structure of archaeology as a science to identify the processes that support its main reasoning in order to be able to analyse the processes of inference and generation of archaeological information and offer one's own views.) Apply the logical structure of archaeology as a science to identify the processes that support its main reasoning in order to be able to analyse the processes of inference and generation of archaeological information and offer one's own views.
  • SM08 (Synthetically explain the main explanatory proposals of the past from the different theoretical schools of archaeology, assessing both strengths and weaknesses.) Synthetically explain the main explanatory proposals of the past from the different theoretical schools of archaeology, assessing both strengths and weaknesses.

Contents

  1. Archaeology as a social science. What are society, politics, and economics?
  2. How are human societies organized?
  3. Care in Prehistory
  4. Plants in Prehistory
  5. Archaeology, colonialism, and genocide
  6. Property
  7. Ideology and ideological discourse
  8. Nationalism, Nazism, and archaeology
  9. Religion
  10. Bioethics

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Classroom practices - discussion seminars 25 1
Individual or group study 75 3
Theoretical classes 50 2

Guided activities

  • Lectures delivered by the teaching staff, supported through Moodle.
  • Group work sessions and instructor-led discussions. Collective analysis and discussion of textual and audiovisual materials. Individual and/or group presentations.
  • Learning activities outside the classroom, for example, visits to museums.

Supervised activities

  • Scheduled tutorials to address questions related to the course. Individual or small-group guidance on specific course content.
  • Small-group supervision for the preparation of presentations and guided learning activities.
  • Individual or group online tutorials conducted through Moodle.

Autonomous learning activities

  • Independent study. Reading of academic texts and bibliographic research.
  • Preparation of written assignments, oral presentations, discussions, and debates.

Note: Fifteen minutes of one class session, within the timetable established by the faculty/degree programme, will be reserved for students to complete the institutional surveys evaluating the teaching performance of the instructor and the course/module.



Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Text commentary on Block 2 15% 0 0 CM06, KM07, KM08, KM09, SM07, SM08
Written test Block 2 25% 0 0 KM09, SM08
Class participation 20% 0 0 CM05, SM08
Text commentaries on Block 1 15% 0 0 CM06, KM07, KM08, KM09, SM07, SM08
Written test from Block 1 25% 0 0 CM06, CM07

Assessment

Continuous assessment system

The continuous assessment system is organised into three components, each contributing a specific percentage to the final grade:

  • Guided activities (lectures) are assessed through the written examinations corresponding to Blocks 1 and 2 and account for 50% of the final grade.
  • Attendance, participation in classroom activities, and supervised activities (tutorials) account for 20% of the final grade.
  • Autonomous learning activities (written assignments, text commentaries, etc.) account for the remaining 30%.


Assessment schedule

At the beginning of the course, students will be informed of the deadlines for completing and submitting all assessment activities.

Exchange students who need to sit an examination in advance must provide the course instructor with an official document from their home university justifying their request.


Requirements to pass the course

  • Submission and completion of all assessment activities within the established deadlines.
  • A minimum overall average grade of 5 out of 10.


Review of grades

When each assessment activity is assigned, the instructor will inform students, via Moodle or the University's academic information system (SIA), of the procedure and date for reviewing grades.


Resit assessment

Students may take the resit examination provided that they have completed the supervised and autonomous learning activities within the established deadlines and have obtained a minimum overall grade of 3.5 out of 10.

Certain assessment activities may not be eligible for resit, at the instructor's discretion. These may include oral presentations, group assignments, or tasks directly related to day-to-day classroom activities.


"Not Assessed" (No Avaluable)

Students who have completed 30% or less of the assessment activities will receive a final grade of "Not Assessed" (No Avaluable).


Resit examination schedule

The dates for resit examinations are established by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and are published on the Faculty website in July of the preceding academic year. Students are responsible for checking the date assigned to their course. The final continuous assessment activity will be scheduled at least one week before the resit examination.


Plagiarism and academic misconduct

Any irregularity committed by a student that may significantly affect the assessment of an activity will result in a grade of 0 (fail) for that activity, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. If a student commits more than one irregularity in the assessment activities of the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0 (fail).


Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in this course is restricted. AI technologies may only be used for bibliographic or information searches, text editing and proofreading, or other purposes expressly authorised by the instructor.

Students must:

  1. Clearly identify any content generated using AI.
  2. Specify the AI tools used.
  3. Include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced both the process and the final outcome of the assessment.

Failure to disclose the use of AI in an assessment activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will result in a grade of 0 for that activity, which will not be eligible for resit. More serious sanctions may apply in cases of severe misconduct.

Assessment activities involving academic misconduct (including plagiarism, unauthorised use of AI, or copying) are not eligible for resit.


Single assessment

This course does not offer a single final assessment option.

Bibliography

AAVV (2000). \"Queer Archaeologies\". World Archaeology,  vol.32 (2),

Anderson, P. (2000), Los orígenes de la postmodernidad. Anagrama, Barcelona.

Bate, L.F. (1998). El proceso de investigación en arqueología, Crítica, Barcelona.

Binford, L. (1977), For Theory Building in Archeology, Academic Press, New York.

Castro-Martinez, P. V., Escoriza-Mateu, T. (2014) “Por una Arqueología Social, contra las Manipulaciones Convenientes”, Arkeogazte. Revista de Arqueología, 4: 25-42.

Castro-Martinez, P. V., Gili, S., Lull, V., Mico, R., Rihuete, C., Risch, R. i Sanahuja, E. (1998). “Teoría de la producción de la vida social. Un análisis de los mecanismos de explotación en el sudeste peninsular (3000-l550 cal ANE)”. Boletín de Antropología Americana, 33: 25-78.

Castro-Martinez, P.V. et al (1996). “Teoría de las Prácticas Sociales”, Complutum Extra, 6 (II): 35-48.

Chapman, R. 2003. Archaeologies of Complexity. London: Routledge.

Clarke,D.L. (1984) Arqueología analítica. Ed. Bellaterra. Barcelona.

Conkey, M. i Spector, J. (1984). “Archaeology and the study of gender”. Hays-Gilpin, K. i Whitley, D.S. (ed.). Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory , 7:1-38.

Daems, D. 2021. Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology, Routledge

D’Ercole, M. C. 2017 “Archaeology And Economic History: between affinities and discord », Palethnologie [En ligne], 9 | 2017, http://journals.openedition.org/palethnologie/346 

Earle, T.K., y Johnson, A. W. 2003. La evolución de las sociedades humanas. Desde

los grupos cazadores-recolectores al estado agrario. Ariel Historia, Barcelona.

Emberling, G. (Ed.). (2015). Social Theory in Archaeology and Ancient History: The Present and Future of Counternarratives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Foucault, M. (1979). Microfísica del poder. Las ediciones de La Piqueta, Madrid.

Foucault, M. (1988). La arqueología del saber. Siglo XXI, México.

Hodder, I. (1987). “La arqueología en la era post-moderna”, Trabajos de prehistoria, 44: 11-26.

Hodder, I. (1988). Interpretación en arqueología. Corrientes actuales. Crítica, Barcelona.

 Hodder, Ian. 2012. Entangled: An Archaeology of the Relationships Between Humans and Things. Hoboken: WILEY

Jameson, F. (1991). El posmodernismo o la lógica cultural del capitalismo avanzado. Paidós, Barcelona.

Kuhn, T.S. (1971) La estructura de las revoluciones científicas, F.C.E., México.

Lakatos, I. (1983). La metodología de los programas de investigación científica. Alianza Editorial. Madrid.

Lull, V. (2005). “Marx, producción, sociedad y arqueología”. Trabajos de Prehistoria, 62 (1): 7-26

Lumbreras, L. (1974). La Arqueología como Ciencia Social. Ediciones Histar, Lima.

Lyotard, F. (1996). La posmodernidad explicada a los ninos. Gedisa. Barcelona.

Marx, K. 1844 (1968). Manuscritos: economía y filosofía. (Traducción de Francisco Rubio Llorente). Alianza Ed. (Madrid 1968).

Marx, K. 1857 (1989). Introducción a la crítica de la Economía Política.(Traducción de Marat Kuznetsov). En Marx, Engels, Lenin: Obras. Ed. Progreso (Moscú 1989: 178-208)

Marx, K. i Engels, F. 1845-46 (1970). La Ideología Alemana. (Traducción de W. Roces). Ed. Grijalbo. Barcelona.

McGuire, R. H. (1992). A Marxist Archaeology, Academic Press.

Narotzky, S. (1995). Mujer, Mujeres, Género. Una Aproximación Crítica al Estudio de las Mujeres en las Ciencias Sociales, CSIC. Madrid.

Shanks, M. i Tilley, C. (1987). Re-constructing Archaeology. Theory and Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Shanks, M. i Tilley, C. (1987). Social Theory and Archaeology. Polity Press, Cambridge.

Trigger, B. G. (1992). Historia del pensamiento arqueológico. Crítica, Barcelona.

Software

Moodle and virtual campus, word processor and PDF reader

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed