Integrating Ethnoarchaeology: a Subtle Realist Perspective
Author(s)
David, N.
Abstract
Ethnoarchaeology term is characterized by a diversity of products that often seem to have little in common but which can for the most part be assigned to one or the other of two contrasting, although not incompatible, schools: the scientist and the hermeneutic. A subtle realist philosophical perspective and Goodenough’s concepts of phenomenal and ideational orders are employed to situate ethnoarchaeological researches in the context of culture as a whole. It becomes apparent that the diversity of studies reflects the expanse of this domain, in the analysis of parts of which it is appropriate to employ a variety of methods and analytical styles. Selected ethnoarchaeological studies are reviewed in demonstration of the thesis that the relative simplicity or complexity and openness or restriction of the systems under investigation are the main factors influencing choices of methods and styles. Ethnoarchaeological and archaeological interpretation should indeed partake both of scientist explanation and hermeneutics. Last, it is noted that, while ethnoarchaeology remains closely linked to archaeology, its scope is widening to include a broader range of anthropological concerns that can be accessed through material culture studies.
