Introduction: For a Social Archaeology of Kinship

Abstract

[EN] This chapter justifies the necessity of a social archaeology of kinship. To do so, the text frames what is understood today by kinship within its intellectual trajectory, giving a brief overview of different disciplinary approaches. Over the previous decades the topic was subject to strong criticism, loss of interest, mistrust or reticence. Nowadays the scholarly outlook is optimistic, the old weaknesses have been contested, interest in the topic is growing steadily, and fresh lines of enquiry have been opened. This paper critically surveys the current confusing panorama and points out unsolved shortcomings that the academic community is yet to face, particularly regarding the mainstream biodeterministic narrative within a context of scientism and neopositivist supremacy. The text then explains the genesis, aims and scope of the volume, framing its contents within the current intellectual landscape, which are arranged into two main research branches: science-based contributions drawing on bioarchaeology (aDNA and isotope analyses) and humanistic-oriented and anthropologicallyinformed chapters interested in household archaeology. Finally, it comments on the promising prospects for future advancements in this field.