What is the matter with our profession. To say that the study of religion
(or architecture, or motels, or political economy, or ceramics, or
childhood, etc. etc. etc.) is a legitimate topic for historical [not
"historic"] archaeologists in no manner suggests that archaeology is
the center of such studies. It also does not fail to recognize that
clusters of scholars, and disciplines, are equally or more centered on
such topics. What are historical archaeologists to do, sit around and
only talk about how they dig holes in the ground?

I agree with Ned. We need to not only be something else (anthropologist,
historian, etc.) but we need to actively build ties to other scholarly
fields and their research interests. At the same time a true historical
archaeology should not be a field focused on techniques or only antiquarian
topics. How can we discuss, study or contribute to an understanding of the
past if we remove an arbitrary section of data from the whole picture? We
need MORE attention and integration of data from documents, oral history,
period images and ethnography in our papers, presentations and final
products. Those historical archaeologists who have taken such a holistic
approach in the past are, I believe, the only ones who have had an impact
on general scholarship and have also reached the general public (e.g. Jim
Deetz, Ivor Noel Hume).

        Enough!

                                        Bob Schuyler






At 12:34 PM 1/19/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>I know I'm stepping out on a tightrope here but I will play devil's
>advocate. I would categorize this as interdisciplinary research in religious
>studies, social history, and ethnography. Historic Archeology is a small
>part of the study of religion, ritual, and magic and by claiming that it is
>a historic archeological research topic are you not doing a disservice to
>the other disciplines. I think this topic is a social history of religious
>studies research question that can be answered in part by work being
>completed by historic archeologists. If this is not the case, and historic
>archeologists are taking the lead in theoretical approaches to religion and
>ritual, then you should be preparing these papers for History and Religion
>Conferences where they would have impact on the disciplines that have
>historically dealt with the topic. Was this not what was suggested in a
>previous email?
>
>But I do have to give credit to anyone who can rattle of sources off the top
>of their head to argue their point. Deborah's email is why I like this list
>serve.
>
>Neal Hitch
>Ohio Historical Society
>Not a historic archeologist
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Deborah L. Rotman [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>> Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 11:47 AM
>> To:   [log in to unmask]
>> Subject:      Re: SHA 02 Session Call for Papers - Religion, Ritual, &
>> Magic
>>
>> In a message dated 1/19/01 10:28:36 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>
>> << Is it just me, or are historical archaeologists running thin on real
>>  "historic archaeological" research topics? >>
>>
>> How is an understanding of religion, ritual, and magic NOT historical
>> archaeology?  Building upon Dr. Beaudry's comments, religion was an
>> important
>> dimension of every day life which guided uses of material objects and the
>> shaping of the built environment. It was (and is) a critical aspect of the
>> sociohistorical context in which people lived and permeated multiple
>> aspects
>> of their daily activites.
>>     The nineteenth century was an extremely tumultuous time, marked by
>> fluctuating geographical mobility, urbanization, and industrialization.
>> Productive relations were restructured and traditional patriarchal
>> authority
>> was questioned.  As individuals were repositioned within the economy,
>> relationships between employers and workers, men and women, parents and
>> children were redefined.  Religion was an important mechanism for
>> mediating
>> these changes and reorganizing daily life (Coontz 1988).
>>     The cult of domesticity, as one example, was an ideology which
>> structured
>> gender roles and relations.  It was a belief that women were spiritually
>> superior to men and were, therefore, charged with the moral education of
>> children.  These ideas are expressed through architectural elements (Clark
>> 1988; Adams 1990), household furnishings (Lavender 1999), ceramic
>> tablewares
>> (Wall 1991, 1994), and the organization of space (McMurry 1988; Spain
>> 1992)
>> -- all of which are visible archaeologically.  Coontz (1988:193) argued
>> that
>> the cult of true womanhood was a strategy for resisting too complete of a
>> separation of the work and home.  Consequently, this gender ideology --
>> with
>> its foundation in religious beliefs -- was a critical dimension of
>> nineteenth-century life which profoundly affected the ways in which people
>> interacted with one another and the material world.
>>     Another example . . . the Quakers were called by their religion to
>> assist
>> enslaved African Americans to freedom.  The safe houses along the
>> underground
>> railroad and the communities established in northern states and Canada
>> have
>> also been examined archaeologically and are meritorious research arenas in
>> historical archaeology (Rotman et al. 1997; Smardz 1997; among others).
>>     Additionally, in tandem with another current thread on the archaeology
>> of
>> workplaces, corporate paternalism was among the methods of social control
>> used by factory owners to assure the company's prosperity and emphasized
>> efficiency, time discipline, and the MORAL behavior of their workers
>> (Gutman
>> 1977; Beaudry and Mrozowski 1987; Leone et al. 1987; Beaudry 1989; Wurst
>> 1991; Shackel 1993; Leone 1999).
>>     Clearly, these are highly abbreviated presentations of this research
>> and
>> there are numerous other examples in the literature.  My point is that
>> understanding religion, ritual, and magic is imperative to understanding
>> life
>> in the historic period (not to mention prehistory).
>> Respectfully,
>> Deborah L. Rotman
>> Doctoral Candidate
>> University of Massachusetts-Amherst
>
>
Robert L. Schuyler
University of Pennsylvania Museum
33rd & Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA l9l04-6324

Tel: (215) 898-6965
Fax: (215) 898-0657
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