New Dimensions in HunterGatherer Studies: The Prehistory of the Tarafeni Valley

In the last decade or so, there has been substantial development in understanding the behavioural patterns of past huntergatherers societies. Although images of existing huntinggathering populations continue to be used as analogues in drawing inferences about the past, there has been a considerable shift in the analyses of both, the archaeological record and the ethnographic data as well as more meaningful engagement with inquiries in territoriality, mobility strategies, and the use of raw materials by past huntergatherer societies. This volume tries to explore these questions visvis the prehistory of a small river valley in West Medinapur, West Bengal to assess how far some of the theoretical issues raised in huntergatherer studies are relevant to the Indian context. Although remarkable advances have been made in expanding the database on new sites in Indian prehistory, in the appreciation of the palaeoenvironment and the chronology of the different cultures, yet studies highlighting theoretical issues are relatively few. This volume, therefore, will be of great interest to both, students and researchers alike.