Christopher DeCorse, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Anthropology Department, has written Archaeology and World Prehistory: Unearthing Our Past (Sage Publications, 2026).

Drawing from material in the Maxwell School’s Introduction to Archaeology and World Prehistory course, the textbook offers an overview of archaeology’s theories and methods and traces human history from early ancestors to the emergence of agricultural states across the globe.

DeCorse was named a Distinguished Professor in 2023 and is a senior research associate for the Maxwell African Scholars Union. His research focuses on African archaeology and history, general anthropology, and archaeology and popular culture.

He has authored, co-authored and edited numerous other publications, including Fringe Archaeology: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Past (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2024), An Archaeology of Elmina: Africans and Europeans on the Gold Coast, 1400–1900 (Percheron Press, 2021), and Power, Political Economy, and Historical Landscapes of the Modern World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (SUNY Press, 2019).

From the publisher:

Archaeology and World Prehistory: Unearthing Our Past emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field and its interconnectedness with the four fields of anthropology, sciences, humanities, and beyond. Students new to archaeology will learn key theories and methodologies through rich examples from field work and prehistory. Christopher R. DeCorse challenges ethnocentrism and essentialism by highlighting the differences and similarities across cultures, encouraging critical thinking, cultural appreciation, and global awareness.