Reviews
"A work in historical archaeology that explores such topics as European-Indian relations, early colonial culture change, urbanization, and mass consumption."
--The Chronicle Review
"Drawing on a wide range of examples from New York City urban life to California mining camps, this compact study examines the material culture of capitalism in America and illustrates its development from the colonial to the modern eras. It is the first comparative treatment in historical archaeology to do so. Matthews treats archaeology as an artifact of capitalism by linking the study of material culture to its creation within a capitalistic society. The Archaeology of American Capitalism will challenge the reader to view American archaeology from a new perspective."
--American Archaeology, vol. 15 no.1
"A scholarly and fascinating study, enhanced with useful indexes, bibliography, and much more, making a core addition to any historical or economic history collections in community and college libraries."
--The Midwest Book Review
"Well argued and well written, the book is a must read for all serious scholars of historical archaeology, and it offers valuable insights into the diversity of group actions and reactions to capitalism in North America."
--CHOICE
"Asks us to seriously consider the abstractions of labour, individual subjectivity, and community created within capitalist relations. This is a valuable endeavor."
--Cambridge Archaeological Journal
"The diversity of the case studies as well as the originality and provocative quality found in the latter part of this book render it a fundamental contribution for anyone interested in building a theoretical background for archaeological practice."
--Labour/ Le Travail
"Makes a very strong and compelling case for the ways capitalist social relations shifted the focus of life from the family or the community to the individual."
--The Journal of American History
"joins a growing number of historians, heterodox economists, and activists in denaturalizing capitalism by excavating the rules and practices governing market exchange over the last several centuries."
--Winterthur Portfolio