Nicole -- the work you are thinking of may have been inspired by Stan South's "Contemporary Patterns of Matrial Culture or Hansel and Gretel in the Modern World: Following the Trail of Pull Tabs
to the "Pause that Refreshes." Coneference on Hist. Sites Arch. Paers, Vol. 12: 87-106 (1980) in which he hypothesizes an "end of the road" artifact pattern..

Carl Steen


1/24/2002 12:01:31 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

>You might check out some of the garbology (garbage archaeology) work from
>William Rathje.  Some of his students did a study of "road-end behaviors"
>a few years ago (don't know if this ever made it into a publication), exactly
>the activities you are interested in.
>
>Nicole Branton
>University of Arizona,
>Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
>
>>-- Original Message --
>>Date:         Wed, 23 Jan 2002 13:20:46 -0800
>>Reply-To: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]>
>>From: Kris Farmen <[log in to unmask]>
>>Subject:      Help, please!
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>Dear HISTARCH:
>>
>>This post goes out specifically to the Australian members of the list. .
>>.
>>
>>I'm getting ready to apply to postgraduate archaeology programs in
>>Australia and (MA by research), and am in the process of narrowing down
>>my research interests.  One of my ideas for a project is to look at the
>>historical archaeology of local party spots--those places where people
>>(generally the youth of the community) go to build bonfires, fool
>>around/fornicate, and get blitzed on liquor they're too young to have
>>legally.  Some of these sites, at least in NSW and Tas. could
>>potentially date as far back as the days of the currency lads (and
>>lasses).
>>
>>My problem--which I'm posting to the list in search of some help--is
>>that I'm having trouble narrowing this down to a specific research
>>problem.  I doubt I'll get very far in my applications by explaining my
>>research interest as "yeah, I think that it would be kinda cool to look
>>at the archaeology of party spots."  I'm not necessarily asking people
>>on the list to hand me a platter full of formulated research questions,
>>I'm just looking for some thoughts that might point me in the right
>>direction.  What sorts of useful information do you think such a study
>>might yield?  Also, do any of our Australian list members know of any
>>professors (in Oz) who might be interested in taking on this sort of
>>project?
>>
>>Thanks very much, folks!
>>
>>
>>Kris Farmen
>>Northern Land Use Research, Inc.
>>Fairbanks, Alaska
>
Carl Steen
Archaeologist
The Diachronic Research Foundation
PO Box 50394
Columbia, SC 29250
Web Site: http://diachronicresearch.com