Archaeological Theory: A Review

Catalog description

This is a discussion-based seminar focused on archaeological theory as it has evolved since the 1970s. Together we will select symptomatic readings and subject them to commentary and critique. We will map a field of basic concepts for archaeology that will include things, making, presence, history, agency, power, society, culture, place, economy, status, cognition, affect, memory, experience, (im)materiality, and more. Throughout we will be interested in relationships of concepts to methodology, disciplinary pragmatics and politics. The purpose is NOT to compile a list of theories that have been claimed to feature in the recent history of the discipline (processual, post-processual, behavioral, cognitive, new materialist, symmetrical, post-humanist, techno-scientific, whatever). Seminar lead MS has been at the forefront of every shift in archaeological thought since the 80s - as proponent, critic, and practitioner. For the last decade he has presented an annual seminar at Stanford on cutting-edge thought in archaeology, and here he is taking the opportunity to review the overall state of the discipline and related fields, to assess archaeology's fitness to address matters of common and pressing contemporary concern. Seminar members should be prepared for a roller-coaster of challenging conversation that will embrace our different standpoints and interests.