Architecture and order
We take the built environment for granted; yet we create worlds of meaning through the buildings we construct. Architecture is a powerful medium for representing, ordering and classifying the world. For over a decade archaeologists have been using concepts of the symbolic use of space, but until now there has been no single study of this field, or its interaction with architecture and anthropology. Architecture and Order draws together the work of anthropologists, psychologists, social theorists, architects and archaeologists to explore people's relationships with their architecture. In many societies, houses and tombs have encoded cultural meanings and values which are invoked and recalled through the practices of daily and ritual life. Case studies include the early farming communities of Europe, from before the use of metals, to the Classical and medieval worlds of the Mediterranean and Europe. Studies of the recent past and present include an overview of hunter-gatherers' camp organisation, a reassessment of the use of space amongst the Dogon of West Africa and an examination of mental disorders relating to the use of space in Britain. The book goes beyond the implication that culture determines form to develop an approach which integrates meaning and practice. Architecture and Order is a new approach to the examination of archaeological evidence. It will be essential reading for students of archaeology, anthropology and cultural studies, and will also appeal to students of history and psychology.
