| Abstract: |
The role of exchange in the development of social complexity has long intrigued anthropologists and archaeologists. Some recent studies have focused on political economy as the link between exchange and complexity. In essence, political leaders control and manipulate exchange resources for the purpose of gaining increased political power and prestige. In this paper, I review the exchange models proposed by two Southeast Asian archaeologists, Bennet Bronson and Laura Junker, and then show how the same evidence used to support political economy interpretations can be relevant to a model which links the distribution of resources to the exchange strategy chosen by elites
aggression or alliance. That is, with prehispanic Philippine chiefdoms, there were different exchange relationships between coastal villages and between coastal and upland villages due to the distribution of resources. Between coastal villages, an exchange strategy emphasizing aggression would be chosen by chiefs because resource distribution was predictable, dense, and easy to control. However, between coastal and upland villages, an alliance strategy would be preferred by coastal chiefs because resource distribution was unpredictable, scarce, and difficult to control.
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