For 40 years, political collapse has been increasingly prominent in anthropological archaeology. Throughout that period, scholars have grappled with defining collapse and asked why sociopolitical systems fragment. In this article, I explore emerging research on the aftermath of collapse. Focusing on the Americas, I consider the development of theoretical models and expanding analytical scope. Highlighting key themes, I propose that although cross-cultural archaeological data do negate narratives of apocalypse and disappearance, an overemphasis on post-collapse continuity also obscures the heterogeneity and dynamism of post-collapse periods and the creativity and resilience of populations who live through them.

40年来，政治崩溃在人类学考古学中日益凸显。在那段时期，学者们一直在努力解决崩溃的定义，并询问社会政治系统为何会分裂。在本文中，我探讨了有关崩溃后果的新兴研究。以美洲为重点，我考虑理论模型的发展和分析范围的扩大。在强调关键主题时，我认为，尽管跨文化考古数据确实否定了关于世界末日和消失的叙述，但过分强调崩溃后的连续性也掩盖了崩溃后时期的异质性和活力，以及生活在这些时期的人们的创造力和复原力。 。