Post-processualism, professionalization and archaeological methodologies. Towards reflective and radical practice

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Chadwick
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
Contract Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
Archaeological Work ◽  
Commercial Archaeology ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

In recent years the gap between archaeological theory and practice has been closing, but although there have been calls for ‘reflexivity’, there has been little critical examination of its meanings. Proposed reflexive methodologies still perpetuate many traditional hierarchies of power, and fail to consider the creative nature of excavation and post-excavation. Much archaeological work in Britain, Europe and North America also takes place within the commercial sphere, and post-processual ideas cannot advance archaeological practice unless they can be implemented in contract archaeology. This paper examines theoretical considerations of reflexivity, representation, subjectivity and sensual engagement to highlight their relevance to everyday archaeological practice, and their political potential to undermine existing hierarchies of power within commercial archaeology.

Multi-Vocality and Post-Processualism as Methodological Assets of the ’Collaboration Game’

2011 ◽  
pp. 10-22
Author(s):  
C. Karagiannidis ◽  
S. Efraimidou ◽  
A. Koumpis
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Educational Theory ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

In recent years the gap between educational theory and practice has been closing, but although there have been calls for ‘reflexivity’, there has been little critical examination of its meanings. Proposed reflexive methodologies still perpetuate many traditional hierarchies, and fail to consider the creative nature of the educational process as such. Much research work also takes place within the commercial sphere, and post-processual ideas cannot advance educational practice unless they can be implemented in some type of an e-learning system. In our Chapter we examine theoretical considerations of reflexivity, representation, subjectivity and experiential engagement to highlight their relevance to everyday educational practice, and their potential to undermine existing suboptimalities in the classroom.

Bridging the Two Cultures – Commercial Archaeology and the Study of Prehistoric Britain

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Grey Literature ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
Two Cultures ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Two Cultures ◽  
Changing Roles ◽  
Commercial Archaeology ◽  
The Relationship

This paper was given at a meeting of the Society held on 12 January 2006 and it discusses the relationship between academic research and developer-funded archaeology in Britain today, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each. It considers the relationship between archaeological theory and practice and discusses the changing roles of academics, fieldworkers and managers. It argues that important issues need to be resolved, including the dissemination of information from recent archaeological fieldwork and the use of ‘grey literature’ in informing more ambitious interpretations of the past.

Histories of Archaeology

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
General Introduction ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of

In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in the history of the discipline of archaeology. Local, national, and international histories of archaeology that deal with institutions, concepts, categories, and the social and political contexts of archaeological practice have begun to influence the development of archaeological theory. This volume contributes to these developments by reprinting 19 significant papers. Spanning much of the last 200 years and global in coverage and outlook, the papers provide a thorough grounding in the historiography of archaeology, and will enhance understanding of the origins and growth of its theory and practice. A general introduction which is itself a contribution to historiography orients readers by outlining core themes and issues in the field.

The dialectic between global and local perspectives in archaeological theory, heritage and publications

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristian Kristiansen
Keyword(s):  
Annual Meeting ◽  
The Other ◽  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
Common Trends ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
The Past ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
Local Perspectives

When I agreed to present the article as a vehicle for discussion at a session at the EAA's annual meeting in Zadar, Croatia, I decided to approach the question of a European archaeology from what I considered to be the three organizing pillars of archaeological practice: heritage, theory and publications. Heritage is the dominant organizational/legislative framework for archaeological practice, and it is where most of the money is spent. Theory, on the other hand, organizes most of our interpretations of the past, while publications are still the most common way of presenting the results of both heritage work (mostly excavations) and interpretations of that work. In this way I hoped to have encircled the dominant parameters for a diagnosis of the archaeological landscapes in Europe. I assumed that there might be some correlation between the three, and that such observed common trends within two or more variables would strengthen the argument, to paraphrase processual jargon.

Machine Learning Arrives in Archaeology

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-191
Author(s):  
Simon H. Bickler
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
First Century ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Archaeological Practice ◽  
The World ◽  
Archaeological Work ◽  
Archaeological Analysis

OverviewMachine learning (ML) is rapidly being adopted by archaeologists interested in analyzing a range of geospatial, material cultural, textual, natural, and artistic data. The algorithms are particularly suited toward rapid identification and classification of archaeological features and objects. The results of these new studies include identification of many new sites around the world and improved classification of large archaeological datasets. ML fits well with more traditional methods used in archaeological analysis, and it remains subject to both the benefits and difficulties of those approaches. Small datasets associated with archaeological work make ML vulnerable to hidden complexity, systemic bias, and high validation costs if not managed appropriately. ML's scalability, flexibility, and rapid development, however, make it an essential part of twenty-first-century archaeological practice. This review briefly describes what ML is, how it is being used in archaeology today, and where it might be used in the future for archaeological purposes.

Aquatic Stewardship Education in Theory and Practice

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
North America ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Natural Resource Managers ◽  
Stewardship Behavior

<i>Abstract</i>.—Contemporary definitions of aquatic resource stewardship are a specific expression of ethical themes that humankind has wrestled with for millennia. The foundations for a stewardship ethic can be secular or spiritual. Other chapter contributors discuss a range of the secular foundations (e.g., fishing, boating); we discuss the implications of stewardship ethics rooted in religious traditions. Some fisheries professionals recognize religious–cultural influences on aquatic stewardship, such as those seen in Native American or Asian immigrant communities. But fisheries professionals have commonly ignored mainline Judeo-Christian faith traditions as an ethical basis for aquatic stewardship behavior, despite the fact that those traditions inform ethical development for large numbers of people in North America and that denominations within those traditions have increasingly engaged in stewardship-based environmental education and advocacy. The proposition that religious values often form the basis for a stewardship ethic presents several challenges for fisheries professionals striving to foster stewardship behavior. However, a basic understanding of these religious foundations could contribute to an improved practice of stewardship education, through outreach to a new constituency—faith communities. To illustrate this point, we briefly summarize some of the sources for stewardship found in the biblical corpus. We offer three examples of how Christian stewardship principles are manifest in aquatic stewardship programs delivered by faith communities. Models of partnership between natural resource managers and local faith communities are emerging across North America. In revisiting the ethical bases of stewardship and identifying new opportunities for stewardship education partnerships, we hope to demonstrate one more means by which fisheries professionals can bridge from stewardship education in principle to an effective practice of stewardship education.

Bridging the gap between theory and practice in elucidating modular gene regulatory sequence organisation within genomes

Genome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 281-289
Author(s):  
Kelly Seto ◽  
Wendy Mok ◽  
Jonny Stone
Keyword(s):  
Promoter Region ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Regulatory Sequence ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Computational Research ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Region Evolution ◽  
Genome Projects

Changes to promoter regions probably have been responsible for many morphological evolutionary transitions, especially in animals. This idea is becoming testable, as data from genome projects amass and enable bioinformaticians to conduct comparative sequence analyses and test for correlations between genotypic similarities or differences and phenotypic likeness or disparity. Although such practical pursuits have initiated some theoretical considerations, a conceptual framework for understanding promoter region evolution, potentially effecting morphological evolution, is only starting to emerge, predominantly resulting from computational research. We contribute to this framework by specifying three big problems for promoter region research; reviewing computational research on promoter region evolution; and exemplifying a topic for future promoter region research — module evolution.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document