Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-297) and index.
1. Introduction: computer simulation for social theory / Rosaria Conte and Nigel Gilbert -- 2. A model of the emergence of new political actors / Robert Axelrod -- 3. Division of labour and social co-ordination modes: a simple simulation model / Massimo Egidi and Luigi Marengo -- 4. Emergence of kinship structures: a multi-agent approach / Jean Pierre Treuil -- 5. Cities can be agents too: a model for the evolution of settlement systems / Stephane Bura, France Guerin-Pace, Helene Mathian, Denise Pumain and Lena Sanders -- 6. The EOS project: integrating two models of Palaeolithic social change / Jim Doran and Mike Palmer -- 7. Genetic algorithms, teleological conservatism, and the emergence of optimal demand relations: the case of learning-by-consuming / Roger McCain -- 8. Emergence in social simulation / Nigel Gilbert -- 9. How to invent a lexicon: the development of shared symbols in interaction / Edwin Hutchins and Brian Hazlehurst.