Purposeful Pain: The Bioarchaeology of Intentional Suffering (Bioarchaeology and Social Theory)

Pain is an evolutionary and adaptive mechanism that has been studied from a bioanthropological and bioarchaeological perspective.

This book explores how pain-inducing behaviors are selected, including their potential to demonstrate individuality, navigate social hierarchies, and express commitment to an ideal.

The study of pain requires a holistic approach that crosses cultures, disciplines, and time, and this volume provides a comprehensive examination of the motivations for self-inflicted pain, its socio-political repercussions, and the physical manifestations of repetitive or long-term pain-inducing behaviors.

The book also reveals how bioarchaeology illuminates paleopathology, how social theory enhances bioarchaeology, and how ethnography benefits from a longer temporal perspective.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of pain and its role in shaping individual and societal goals.