An Overview of Theory
Overview
This module provides a general overview of contemporary archaeological
theory that frames material presented throughout the course. The emphasis
is on processual and post-processual approaches.
(Note that the intellectual history of archaeology is taught as a separate
course at Penn State; it is taken by most archaeology concentrators.
Other instructors may want to dedicate more time to the history of archaeology
in this section.)
Lesson Objectives/Reading Journal Topics
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe and critique the processual approach in archaeology and identify
the kinds of research questions that have been addressed.
- Explain what linking arguments are and how they are used.
- Describe a systems approach and its strengths and weaknesses.
- Explain how archaeologists study thoughts.
- Compare and contrast processual to post-processual archaeology.
Matrix Principles
Stewardship (theory frames all our work and is therefore essential to
understanding the value of the archaeological record) and Diverse Interests
(recognition of the social context of archaeology).
Instructional Procedures
Class 1
Readings
Johnson, Matthew
1999 Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishers,
Oxford.
Chapters 1-4.
Discussion topics follow the readings and include:
- Culture historical archaeology.
- The New Archaeology, including ideas about cultural evolution, systems
theory, the emphasis on ecology and adaptation and on hypothesis testing,
the critique of positivism, middle range theory and the use of analogy.
Class 2
Readings
Johnson, Matthew
1999 Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishers,
Oxford.
Chapters 5-7
Discussion topics follow the readings and include:
- Systems theory and functionalist explanations.
- The archaeology of thoughts and cognitive, structuralist, and Marxist
approaches.
- Post-processual archaeology and the emphases on meaning, human agency,
and cultural and historical context.
The class ends with a summary discussion of processual and post-processual
archaeology. The debate can be placed within the larger context of the
“science wars” as well as the larger historical context
of anthropology, with its persistent debates over evolutionary or comparative
versus historical approaches, or emphases on studying meaning versus
behavior.