Migration, skill, and the transformation of social networks in the pre-Hispanic Southwest

Bibliographic Data

ID2048889
AuthorsB J Mills (0000-0002-2130-2185, University of Arizona, corresponding author), Jeffery J Clark (Archaeology Southwest), Matthew A Peeples (0000-0003-4496-623X, Arizona State University)
Year2016
Volume3
Issue2
Pages203-215
Publication date2016-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEconomic Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2330-4847 • E-ISSN: 2330-4847
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sea2.12060
OpenAlexW2565892974
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited35

Migration restructures interaction at different social and spatial scales and has the potential to create deep and lasting inequalities between migrants and hosts. But migrants may also create relationships that mediate inequalities and assume positions of power. We examine how migration restructured social relationships in the late pre-Hispanic U.S. Southwest and argue that skilled migrant potters were responsible for both technological innovation and the success of migrants in their new homes. The Southwest has well-documented examples of a diaspora from northeastern Arizona to destinations to the south. Using social network analyses conducted by the Southwest Social Networks Project, we investigate the position of migrant settlements vis-à-vis their hosts. Migration transformed social networks fromad1200 to 1450 as newcomers became increasingly central by maintaining relationships through bonds of shared heritage and creating social positions for themselves within host communities. Comparison of early and late periods shows how migrants were initially weakly tied to their hosts, which led to stronger ties in a significant portion of the Southwest. These ties indicate widespread interactions characteristic of a social movement. Skilled migrants innovated the production of ceramics that became highly valued in their respective destinations, showing how technological transformations, migration, and skill intersected

Archaeology · Business · Destinations · Diaspora · Economic geography · Geography · Human settlement · Inequality · Interpersonal ties · Political science · Social change · Social media · Social relation · Social science · Social transformation · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Gender Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies

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