Theory and Practice in Archaeology

by the theory/practice debate, a division all too often encouraged by the separation of universities and heritage management. Hodder emphasizes the importance of finding the right balance. Archaeologists, he asserts, cannot afford to ignore general theory in favor of practice any more than they can afford to shut themselves away in intellectual ivory towers. Theoretical debate is important to any discipline, but in archaeology particularly, theory must be related to practice if it is not to become complacent, self-interested and uncritical.
"Theory and Practice in Archaeology" captures and continues the lively debate of the 1980s over symbolic and structural approaches to archaeology. It is essential reading for students of archaeology and for those involved in and responsible for heritage management.

In this latest collection of his articles, of which seven are written especially for this volume, Ian Hodder captures and continues the lively controversy of the 1980s over symbolic and structural approaches to archaeology. The book acts as an overview of the developments in the discipline over the last decade; yet Hodder's brief is far wider. His aim is to break down the division between the intellectual and the "dirt" archaeologist to demonstrate that in this discipline more than any other, theory must be related to practice to save effectively our rapidly diminishing heritage.

Preface; 1. Theory practice and praxis; PART A. SYMBOLIC AND STRUCTURAL ARCHAEOLOGY 2. Symbolism, meaning and context 3. Symbols in action (1982) 4. Burials, houses, women and men in the European Neolitihic (1984); PART B. SOME IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW IDEAS 5. Post-processual archaeology 6. Theoretical archaeology: a reactionary view (1982) 7. Archaeology in 1984 (1984) 8. Politics and archaeology in the World Archaeological Congress 1986 (1986); PART C. DEBATE AND RE-EVALUATION 9. The processual reaction: You have gone too far 10. Towards radical doubt: a dialogue 11. The post-processual reaction: You haven't gone far enough 12. Towards a coherent archaeology.

Ian Hodder