Archaeological theory in a nutshell

208 Pages·2016·12.723 MB·English

by  Adrian Praetzellis

Archaeological Theory
in a Nutshell
To the memory of
Dave Fredrickson
Vera-Mae Fredrickson
Jim Deetz
Their influence on my life and work was immeasurable.
Without them I’d probably be a lawyer.
Archaeological Theory
in a Nutshell
Written and illustrated by
Adrian Praetzellis
First published 2015 by Left Coast Press, Inc.

Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright © 2015 Taylor & Francis
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Praetzellis, Adrian, 1952-
Archaeological theory in a nutshell / written and illustrated by Adrian
Praetzellis.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62958-158-3 (hardback : alkaline paper) — ISBN 978-1-62958-
159-0 (paperback : alkaline paper) — ISBN 978-1-62958-161-3 (consumer
eBook)
1. Archaeology—Philosophy—Textbooks. I. Title.
CC72.P725 2015
930.1—dc23
2014047470
ISBN 978-1-62958-158-3 hardcover
ISBN 978-1-62958-159-0 paperback
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 7
Chapter 1 How Theory Works 9
Chapter 2 Neoevolutionism 29
Chapter 3 Marxism 41
Chapter 4 Critical Theory 51
Chapter 5 Postcolonalism 61
Chapter 6 Feminism 73
Chapter 7 Queer Theory 85
Chapter 8 Structuralism 95
Chapter 9 Agency, Structure, and Structuration 109
Chapter 10 Transgressive Archaeologies 119
Chapter 11 Archaeological Biography 133
Chapter 12 Phenomenology 143
Chapter 13 Materiality and Thing Theory 155
Chapter 14 The Next Big Thing, 167
or Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 15 Parlez-vous Po-Mo? 179
A Mostly Postmodern Phrasebook
Indexes 201
About the Author/Illustrator 207
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Acknowledgments
I got a theory: it might be bunnies.
Joss Whedon, Buff y the Vampire Slayer
I had worked on this book intermittently for some time before
getting the opportunity to complete it as part of a sabbatical
leave generously awarded by Sonoma State University. To fi nish
up, I took several brief escapes from the demands of my work
at SSU’s Anthropological Studies Center (which didn’t stop for
a mere sabbatical) to ‘undisclosed locations’ disconnected from
phone, email, and the rest. Many thanks to Loysie and John,
Maria and Tony, and Doug and Sharon for lending me their get-
away places.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without
the support and patience of Mary, my friend, colleague, and
loving companion for more than 40 years. Thank you!
Adrian Praetzellis
Cloverdale, California
November 10, 2014
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CHAPTER 1
How Theory Works
He who translates entirely literally is a liar,
while he who adds anything is a blasphemer.
Tosafos Megillah
What this book’s about
Theory is the eat-your-vegetables part of archaeology. Everyone
says it’s good for you, but actually getting it down isn’t consid-
ered much fun.
Before the arrival of books like Matthew Johnson’s excellent
Archaeological Theory (as well as my own more modest Death
by Theory), university courses in theory generally assigned
mostly classic articles. And that is good. Everyone should read
Lewis Binford’s Archeology as Anthropology and Ian Hodder on
symbols. But however virtuous it is to read the stuff , actually
grinding through their sometimes convoluted (Binford) and
abstract (Hodder) language has sent generations of graduate
students running for the door. The same goes for those edited
Archaeological Theory in a Nutshell: Adrian Praetzellis, 9–28.
© 2015 Left Coast Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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