My Wish Lists Login / Join

What's New?

Name: What's New?
Price: 211.75 AUD
Availability: BackOrder

A Closer Look at the Process of Innovation

By: Sander E. van der Leeuw (Editor), Robin Torrence (Editor)

Write A Review

Hardcover | 1 October 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
374 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.6 x 17.4 x 2.6

Hardcover

RRP $242.00

$211.75

12%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $52.94 with

Available for Backorder. We will order this from our supplier however there isn't a current ETA.

First published in 1989, What's New? puts innovation firmly back on the agenda of archaeological interpretation. This book revives interest in the process of innovation and reinterprets it by drawing on original work done in a variety of disciplines. It demonstrates that the study of the components of innovation—invention, acceptance, and the context in which they occur—is essential if social change is to be better understood.

The book contains detailed case studies that cover a broad geographical range in the prehistoric, historic, and modern world. It simulates and analyses the conditions of innovation and provides the necessary theoretical framework. The technologies involved are diverse: herding, fishing, pottery-making, metalworking, and land management. Several important issues emerge from this diversity: it is the context of innovation that determines whether change will take place; within hierarchical societies, ideology can both stimulate and deny innovation; and the potential for innovation, experimentation, and change in traditional societies is systematically underrated by the Western world, which is dominated by a narrow, technological perspective. The contributors also study innovation in social and applied anthropology, industrial planning, and the natural sciences.

What's New? will provoke renewed discussion throughout the archaeological community about the process of innovation. Anthropologists, human geographers, and other social scientists will find it fascinating because it provides a time dimension for the study of the conditions of human and social change.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.