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Catastrophe, chaos and complexity: the death, decay and rebirth of towns from antiquity to today

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

John Bintliff
John Bintliff*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, Great Britain
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Abstract

This article will investigate the phenomenon of urban decay and collapse, primarily using examples from the ancient Mediterranean world, but also through comparison with David Byrne's recent investigation of contemporary urban breakdown phenomena in northern England. The analytical approach I wish to introduce to shed new light on this phenomenon is Chaos–Complexity Theory, which has a growing attraction for many social scientists in its potential for resolving the oppositional stances of Modernism and Postmodernism.

Cet article examine le phénomène de décadence et de déclin urbain, en utilisant des exemples principalement issus du monde méditérranéen antique, ainsi qu'en établissant une comparaison avec les travaux récents de David Byrnes sur le phénomène contemporain de dégénérescence urbaine dans le nord de l'Angleterre. L'approche analytique que j'aimerais adopter afin de considérer ce phénomène sous un jour nouveau, est celle de la théorie “Chaos-Complexité”, théorie qui est de plus en plus plébiscitée par de nombreux experts en sciences sociales à cause de son potentiel pour résoudre les positions opposées du Modernisme et du Post-Modernisme.

Vor allem anhand von Beispielen aus dem antiken Mittelmeerraum, aber auch durch einen Vergleich mit David Byrnes neuer Untersuchung des gegenwärtigen Zusammenbruchs von Städten in Nordengland, untersucht dieser Beitrag das Phänomen des Zerfalls und Kollapses von Städten. Der von mir gewählte analytische Ansatz, mit dem ich hoffe, dieses Phänomen in eine neues Licht stellen zu können, ist Chaos-Komplexitätstheorie. Diese Theorie übt wegen ihres Potentials, die gegensätzlichen Standpunkte von Modernismus und Postmodemismus aufzulösen, eine zunehmende Anziehungskraft auf viele Sozialwissenschaftler(inn)en aus.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of European Archaeology , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , Autumn 1997 , pp. 67 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 

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