(To those who replied to Karl's latest post, the replies went directly to
him, rather than to the list. You might want to repost to the list.)
 
 Karl wrote: >...The demands of contract archaeology (reports, compliance,
eligibility, etc.) are not the demands of academic archaeology yet we still
operate under a model of academic archaeology (research designs, hypotheses,
etc.) when this model often does not fit what is being done. Why construct a
scientific program when in reality all that is being done on Phase I surveys
is site finding? ...
 
   There is no such animal as "academic archaeology". All archaeological
projects, whether they be site surveys, excavations, or literature research
should be conducted using a research design and specific hypotheses. This way
of doing research is basic to all disciplines. A research design does not have
to be a huge cumbersome monster. It can be as simple as a) What we are looking
for, b) what we hope to find, c) what the analysis of the data tells us. If
you do not use a research design on a project, even a simple site survey, then
you are not doing archaeology, you are pot-hunting. (I realize that this is a
bit harsh, but I feel that it must be said.)
    Unfortunately, a great many CRM reports reflect Karl's attitude. We went
out, we dug, here is what we found. This is probably why there seems to be
this sort of schism in archaeology today.
 
>The reality is that CRM funds almost all of the work that we do.
 
False. The San Diego Presidio Archaeology Project is not a CRM project. None
of the work the Center for Spanish Colonial Archaeology has done since 1988
were CRM projects. I have been digging since 1981, and have not worked on a
single CRM project. Many of the projects Jack and I have done were to save
sites threatened by housing and other projects, yet we worked for the love of
the site and for the love of archaeology (ooh, I bet that'll upset some CRM
people, we worked for nothing!!).
   Plenty of projects are funded through private and public foundations,
private and public donors, private and public research organizations. CRM
plays a very small part in this. Many site surveys are conducted in a "pure
archaeology" environment, often in field school situations, or classes taught
in archaeological field methods.
   (I'll continue this post later, I'm too mad to go on...)
 
Anita Cohen-Williams; Reference Services; Hayden Library
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ  85287-1006
PHONE: (602) 965-4579              FAX: (602) 965-9169
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