Theory and Practice in Archaeology

by Ian Hodder

This book aims to show through a series of examples that an interpretative archaeology dealing with past meanings can be applied in practice to archaeological data, and that it can also contribute effectively to modern social practice.
Seven of the nineteen papers included have been specifically written for this volume to act as an overview of the way archaeology has developed over the last ten years. Yet Ian Hodder goes beyond he aims to break down the separation of theory and practice and to reconcile the division between the intellectual and the 'dirt' archaeologist. Faced with public controversy over the ownership and interpretation of the past, archaeology ungently needs a clear image of itself, able to gain funding, win public confidence and manage the heritage professionally yet sensitively. This image, however, is often clouded by the theory/practice debate, a division all too often encouraged by the separation of universities and heritage management. Hodder emphasises the importance of finding the right balance. Archaeologists, he asserts, cannot afford to ignore general theory in favour of practice any more than they can afford to shut themselves away in intellectual ivory towers. Theoretical debate is important to any discipline, particularly in archaeology if it is not to become complacent, self-interested and uncritical.
Theory and Practice in Archaeology captures and extends the lively debate of the 1980s over symbolic and structural approaches to archaeology. It will be essential reading for students of archaeology and for those involved in and responsible for heritage management.

Genres: Archaeology, Nonfiction, Philosophy

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Ian Hodder is Dunleavie Family Professor of Archaeology at Stanford University. A Fellow of the British Academy, he has received numerous awards for his accomplishments, including the Oscar Montelius Medal from the Swedish Society of Antiquaries, the Huxley Memorial Medal by the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Fyssen International Prize, and the Gold Medal by the Archaeological Institute of America, along with honorary doctorates from the Bristol and Leiden Universities. Hodder is the author of numerous books, including Symbols in Action (Cambridge, 1982), Reading the Past (Cambridge, 1982), and Entangled: An Archaeology of the Relationships between Humans and Things (2012).

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

made me wanna bang my head to the wall.
is this in English? LOL