CLAS 2P32 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Ethnoarchaeology, Historical Particularism, Logica
5 Jul 2016
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A theory is a generally accepted explanation of how things work. Theory defines what is knowable and what answers are acceptable". Provides a lens" through which one looks at the world. A lens through which an archaeologist interprets the material culture of the past. Archaeologists don"t agree on what type of lens to use! Different theoretical views are grouped into schools of thought". Binary oppositions: determine how we structure our society (ex. girls/boys bathrooms) Three primary schools of thought: cultural history, culture process (processualism, post-processualism. The reaction against the people that were satisfied with cultural history. Middle range theory: past was dynamic , but archaeological remains are static, binford: wanted to build a better bridge. Careful use of analogy can form a bridge to the past: middle range theory (binford: ex. ethnoarchaeology. Systems theory: positive vs. negative feedback, multivariate causality. Changing one point of that system may affect the whole system.
