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Metaarchaeology

Author: Lester Embree

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9401118264

An idea of the philosophy of archaeology can best be gained by showing what it is, what the issues are, who is working in the field, and how they proceed. Reading Lester Embree's Metaarchaeology provides the best possible introduction to the field, since in it several leading archaeologists show how accessible and interesting the current archeological literature is, and currently active philosophers of archaeology reveal something of the current state of discussion on the subject. Bibliographies have also been developed of the philosophy of archaeology as well as of selected parts of the component that can be called metaarchaeology. Finally, an historical introduction has been included to show the variety of metascientific as well as orientational standpoints that philosophers of archaeology have had recourse to for over two decades, followed by speculation about the future of the discipline within the philosophy of science.

Tracing Archaeology's Past

Author: Andrew L. Christenson

Publisher: SIU Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780809315239

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In 17 critical essays, the first book to address the historiography of archaeology evaluates how and why the history of archaeology is written. The emphasis in the first section is on how archaeologists use historical knowledge of their discipline. For example, it can help them to understand the origin of current archaeological ideas, to learn from past errors, and to apply past research to current questions. It can even be integrated into the new liberal arts curricula in an attempt to instruct students in critical thinking. The second section considers the sociopolitical context within which past archaeologists lived and worked and the contexts within which historians of archaeology write. The topics treated include the rise of capitalism and colonialism and the rise of "modern archaeology," the political contexts and changing form of the history of Mesoamerican archaeology, the decline to obscurity of once prominent archaeologists, and the institutional and ideological "fossilization" of American classical archaeology. The final section focuses on researching and presenting the history of archaeology. The authors discuss past archaeologists in light of their institutional affiliations, the use of historic methods to interpret past archaeological notes and collections, and the means of presenting the history of archaeology on videotape. The final paper offers a plan for documenting the many records (diaries, fieldnotes, correspondence, unpublished reports) in public and private hands that contain the history of archaeology.

Interpretive Archaeology

Author: Julian Thomas

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2001-01-01

Total Pages: 639

ISBN-13: 1441179291

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New forms of archaeology are emerging which position the discipline firmly within the social and cultural sciences. These approaches have been described as "post processual" or "interpretive" archaeology, and draw on a range of traditions of enquiry in the humanities, from Marxism and critical theory to hermeneutics, feminism, queer theory, phenomenology and post-colonial thinking. This volume gathers together a series of the canonical statements which have defined an interpretive archaeology. Many of these have been unavailable for some while, and others are drawn from inaccessible publications. In addition, a number of key articles are included which are drawn from other disciplines, but which have been influential and widely cited within archaeology. The collection is put into context by an editorial introduction and thematic notes for each section.

Archaeological Semiotics

Author: Robert W. Preucel

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2010-04-26

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 140519913X

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This interdisciplinary book examines archaeology’s engagement with semiotics, from its early structuralist beginnings to its more recent Peircian encounters. It represents the first sustained engagement with Peircian semiotics in archaeology, as well as the first discussion of how pragmatic anthropology articulates with anthropological archaeology. Its central thesis is that archaeology is a distinctive kind of semiotic enterprise; one devoted to giving meaning to the past in the present through the study of materiality. It compliments standard studies of linguistics and reformulates contemporary theories of material culture. Providing an introduction to Saussure and a review of his legacy across structural, symbolic, and cognitive anthropology, Preucel goes on to present the Peircian alternative and highlights its influence on pragmatic anthropology. Of special interest are the discussions of the interrelations of structuralism and processual archaeology, poststructuralism and postprocessual archaeologies, and cognitive science and cognitive archaeology. The author offers two original case studies demonstrating how material culture pragmatically mediates social relations- one focusing on the aftermath of the Pueblo Revolt from 1680-1694 and the other on the New England utopian community of Brook Farm from 1842-1846. Throughout his analysis, Preucel emphasizes the close links between archaeology and other social sciences. But he also contends that archaeology, by virtue of the powerful ideological character of the past, can open up new spaces for discourse and dialogue about meaning, and, in the process, make a valuable contribution to contemporary semiotics.