2 . When Is a House ? Susan

In this commentary I discuss the characteristic features and utility of house-centric approaches, focusing on the Lévi-Straussian société “à maisons.” In reviewing the contributions to this volume I point out future prospects and continuing problems of applying the house society as a model in archaeological applications, focusing on three major issues: (1) the implications of distinguishing the Lévi-Straussian model from other “house-centered” perspectives, especially for moving archaeological interpretations toward considerations of corporate agency, daily practice, interhouse relationships, and political economy; (2) the advantages and difficulties confronting archaeologists in using a somewhat controversial model derived from ethnography; and (3) the role of houses in history and in societal transformations. In 1996, at the conclusion of our symposium on house societies at the American Anthropological Association meeting, Rosemary Joyce and I congratulated ourselves on having brought together archaeologists and ethnographers in a productive common dialogue on the Lévi-Straussian house, or maison (Joyce and Gillespie, eds. 2000). Our satisfaction turned to dismay, however, when a young archaeologist in the audience approached us, happily exclaiming that he had found the remains of domestic structures at the site he was excavating, so he had a “house society,” too. This was our first indication that archaeologists, with their emphasis on materiality, might have difficulty distinguishing the “house” as a social entity within a “house society” from the archaeological traces of house structures. Ten years later, I can thankfully report that archaeologists applying the house society model, along with other house-centric approaches, are making important contributions to archaeological and ethnological theory, including those who contributed to the Center for Archaeological Investigations’ 2005 Visiting Scholar The Durable House: House Society Models in Archaeology, edited by Robin A. Beck, Jr. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Occasional Paper No. 35. © 2007 by the Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-88104-092-4.