The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

ideology, hegemony, and similar concepts are often used unproductively in
archaeological interpretation because they are not clearly related to one another in a
coherent theoretical framework. Although these concepts do overlap, their relationships
to one another remain unclear, and their usefulness questionable, especially in the face of
practice-theory frameworks. World view and ideology are important to this study because
it is proposed that ideas were an important aspect of ancient Maya technologies and
crafting traditions, and hence, economy. Ideologies and world views not only situated
craft production in social meaning and identity, but also added value to the finished
products of crafters. Thus, when constructing socio-economic models of production,
exchange and value, these categories of ideas should be clearly defined.
Social scientists have created and used definitions of world view, language,
ideology, and hegemony in ways that reflect their own theoretical frameworks and
research agendas. The result has been a plethora of definitions, overlapping categories,
and confusion, especially when cross-cultural studies are undertaken. Of particular
interest are the concepts of world view and ideology, because they explicitly or
inexplicitly contrast rational conscious action with less cognized forms of action. The
world view concept, though often not clearly defined, usually is used to describe
unquestioned and widely held indigenous philosophies, while ideology often refers to
ideas created by individuals and groups as a force in power relations. An uncritical use of
world view concept tends to marginalize the role of the individual, and coordinated
individual actions, in the production, erasure, or maintenance of a world view. On the
other hand, ideology has been more broadly defined category, ranging from
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