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Debating Archaeological Empiricism examines the current intellectual turn in archaeology, primarily in its prehistoric and classical branches, characterized by a return to the archaeological evidence. Each chapter in the book approaches the empirical from a different angle, illuminating contemporary views and uses of the archaeological material in interpretations and theory building. The inclusion of differing perspectives in this collection mirrors the conceptual landscape that characterizes the discipline, contributing to the theoretical debate in archaeology and classical studies. As well as giving an important snapshot of the practical as well as theoretical uses of materiality in archaeologies today, this volume looks to the future of archaeology as an empirical discipline.
List of contents
Introduction
Johannes Siapkas & Charlotta Hillerdal
Why ‘The Death of Archaeological Theory’?
Julian Thomas
Comment by Johannes Siapkas
Comment by Christopher Witmore
Archaeology and the Second Empiricism
Christopher Witmore
Comment by Frands Herschend
Comment by Michael Fotiadis
Public Archaeological Challenges in the 2010s: Learning from Participatory Action in Practice
Katherine Hauptman
Comment by Charlotta Hillerdal
Comment by Julian Thomas
Students First, Please!
Michael Fotiadis
Comment by Frands Herschend
Comment by Katherine Hauptman
Archaeology is History or it’s History
Frands Herschend
Comment by Katherine Hauptman
Comment by Johannes Siapkas
Empirical Tensions in the Materialities of Time
Charlotta Hillerdal
Comment by Julian Thomas
Comment by Michael Fotiadis
Neo-Empirical Mixtures
Johannes Siapkas
Comment by Christopher Witmore
Comment by Charlotta Hillerdal
Postscript
Gavin Lucas
About the author
Charlotta Hillerdal is Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Hillerdal’s research focuses on theoretical archaeology, social identities and ethnic constructions. Her main research areas are Indigenous archaeology (esp. Yupik Alaska) and Viking Age Scandinavia and diaspora. Previous publications include: People in Between. Ethnicity and Material Culture – a New Approach to Deconstructed concepts
Johannes Siapkas is Associate Professor in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Sweden. Siapkas' research focuses on the epistemological foundations of Classical Studies, and modern appropriations of classical antiquity. Previous publications include: Heterological Ethnicity, Displaying the Ideals of Antiquity (co-authored).
Summary
Debating Archaeological Empiricism examines the current intellectual turn in archaeology, primarily in its prehistoric and classical branches, characterized by a return to the archaeological evidence. Each chapter in the book approaches the empirical from a different angle, illuminating contemporary views and uses of the archaeol
