Description
Archaeology in the Making is a collection of bold statements about archaeology, its history, how it works, and why it is more important than ever. This book comprises conversations about archaeology among some of its notable contemporary figures. They delve deeply into the questions that have come to fascinate archaeologists over the last forty years or so, those that concern major events in human history such as the origins of agriculture and the state, and questions about the way archaeologists go about their work. Many of the conversations highlight quite intensely held personal insight into what motivates us to pursue archaeology; some may even be termed outrageous in the light they shed on the way archaeological institutions operate – excavation teams, professional associations, university departments.
Archaeology in the Making is a unique document detailing the history of archaeology in second half of the 20th century to the present day through the words of some of its key proponents. It will be invaluable for anybody who wants to understand the theory and practice of this ever developing discipline.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction Part I: The Archaeological Imagination 2. Binford 3. Schiffer 4. Watson 5. Renfrew 6. Wylie 7. Hodder Part II: The Workings of a Discipline 8. Adrian and Mary Praetzellis 9. Kristiansen 10. Cowgill 11. Schnapp 12. Alcock and Cherry Part III: Political Ecologies (Realpolitik) 13. Leone 14. Buchli and McGuire 15. Conkey 16. Tringham 17. Meskell 18. Rathje and Shanks 19. Archaeology: An ecology of practices
