TY - JOUR
T1 - Neolithization in Southwest Asia in a Context of Niche Construction Theory
AU - Sterelny, Kim
AU - Watkins, Trevor
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
PY - 2015/8/4
Y1 - 2015/8/4
N2 - The term 'neolithization' as it is generally used in relation to southwest Asia narrows the focus of research, and works against our efforts to envision explanations of the process in terms of the long-term evolution of human societies. Here, we re-frame the neolithization process, setting it within the framework of niche construction theory. We argue that the concept of cultural niche construction fits the purpose, but needs to be extended to encompass the more complex social worlds of the Holocene in the form of the cognitive-cultural niche.
AB - The term 'neolithization' as it is generally used in relation to southwest Asia narrows the focus of research, and works against our efforts to envision explanations of the process in terms of the long-term evolution of human societies. Here, we re-frame the neolithization process, setting it within the framework of niche construction theory. We argue that the concept of cultural niche construction fits the purpose, but needs to be extended to encompass the more complex social worlds of the Holocene in the form of the cognitive-cultural niche.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84938573383&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0959774314000675
DO - 10.1017/S0959774314000675
M3 - Article
SN - 0959-7743
VL - 25
SP - 673
EP - 691
JO - Cambridge Archaeological Journal
JF - Cambridge Archaeological Journal
IS - 3
ER -