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Collective Action in the Formation of Pre-Modern States by Richard Blanton and Lane Fargher Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Research over the past half-century has substantially increased the quantity and quality of information on the evolution of early complex societies. New methods and new discoveries have inspired anthropological archaeologists and other social scientists to rethink prevailing theories, which now seem excessively deterministic and unable to account for the role of human action in social change. The authors propose that the rational choice theory of collective action, especially as it has been developed by political scientists, is a fruitful new direction for theory-building that can overcome these limitations. This theory addresses the dilemma faced by any group attempting to build a complex society, namely, that the rational and self-interested behavior of social actors may limit the potential for collective action and group solidarity. This book explores a collective action perspective on the formation of pre-modern states, but does not only promote a new mode of theoretical understanding. Rather, it subjects collective action theory to a methodologically rigorous evaluation using a systematic cross-cultural analysis of historical, ethnographic, and archaeological data drawn from a world-wide sample of societies. These data provide strong support for the theory while pointing the way to a more complex and nuanced approach to collective action, uniting theories of pre-modern and modern states.

State, The --- Collective behavior --- Social action --- Political sociology --- Origin. --- History. --- Methodology. --- Mass political behavior --- Political behavior --- Political science --- Sociology --- Social policy --- Social problems --- Behavior, Collective --- Crowd behavior --- Crowds --- Mass behavior --- Human behavior --- Social psychology --- Origin of the State --- Sociological aspects --- Psychology --- Archaeology. --- Anthropology. --- Political science. --- Political Science. --- Administration --- Civil government --- Commonwealth, The --- Government --- Political theory --- Political thought --- Politics --- Science, Political --- Social sciences --- Human beings --- Archeology --- Anthropology --- Auxiliary sciences of history --- History --- Antiquities --- Primitive societies

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"Focuses on architecture, economics, and power in the evolution of complex societies. Case studies from Mesoamerica, Asia, Africa, and Europe examine the relationship between political structures and economic configurations of ancient chiefdoms and states through a framework of comparative archaeology"--Provided by publisher.

Social archaeology. --- Economic anthropology. --- Technological complexity. --- Architecture and archaeology. --- Archaeology --- Archeology --- Anthropology --- Auxiliary sciences of history --- History --- Antiquities --- Archaeology and architecture --- Complexity, Technological --- Industries, Primitive --- Commerce, Primitive --- Economics, Primitive --- Economics --- Ethnology --- Methodology --- Cross-cultural studies. --- Technology --- archaeology --- architecture --- economics