Debitage variability among multiple flint knappers

Five flint knappers produced both multidirectional cores and early stage bifaces. The debitage assemblages were compared to evaluate if, and to what degree, the debitage created by one flint knapper varies from that of other flint knappers. The debitage from these reduction episodes was then analyzed with commonly used and replicable debitage attributes. Each knapper was evaluated in terms of his/her individual consistency, and the debitage produced was tested for each ratio scale debitage attribute to ensure that the variability found between knappers was not a product of variation within the assemblages of the individual knappers. The debitage from the individual flint knappers was found to be highly variable between knappers for both technologies.     

Indigenous peoples' rights and the politics of the term 'indigenous'

This article forms part of an ongoing debate on rights and the use of the term 'indigenous', which has so far included exchanges in Current Anthropology , the New Humanist , and ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY , as indicated in the bibliography. The authors here respond specifically to an article by Adam Kuper, published in Current Anthropology and the New Humanist . Professor Kuper has been invited to respond and has indicated his intention to do so in the forthcoming issue of ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY . Readers are invited to contribute their own views to the debate. [Ed.]     

Party system fragmentation,social cleavages,and social media: New Zealand’s 2017 election campaign on Facebook

ABSTRACT

Explorations of the predictive relationship between party system fragmentation and social cleavages beyond a single dimension remains an undeveloped area of research, one which rarely accounts for the changing technological landscape where parties now compete. This case study of New Zealand's 2017 election campaign on Facebook contributes to this area. It reveals an environment where parties compete within social cleavages for support, and users demonstrate a diverse preference for cleavage appeals. The findings also offer a compromise between the competing theories about New Zealand’ social cleavage structure. Finally, we revisit the predictive relationship between party system size and social cleavages in a postdictive fashion, demonstrating the continued explanatory power of cleavage structure, this time with data derived from social media.