Archaeology as a Process Processualism and Its Progeny

The publication in 1962 of Lew Binford's paper "Archaeology as Anthropology" is generally considered to mark the birth of processualism-a critical turning point in American archaeology. The realignment that the processualists proposed was so thorough that its effects are still being felt. Predictably, processualism also spun off a number of other "isms," several of which grew up to challenge its supremacy. Archaeology as a Process traces the intellectual history of Americanist archaeology in terms of the research groups that were at the forefront of these various approaches, concentrating as much on the archaeologists as on method and theory, thus setting this book apart from other treatments published in the last fifteen years. Peppered with rare photographs of well-known archaeologists in some interesting settings, the book documents the swirl and excitement of archaeological controversy for the past forty years. In the process, the authors examine how archaeology is conducted-the ins and outs of how various groups work to promote themselves-and how personal ambition and animosities can function to further rather than to retard the development of the discipline.O'Brien, Michael J. is the author of 'Archaeology as a Process Processualism and Its Progeny', published 0000 under ISBN 9780874808179 and ISBN 0874808170.