In a message dated 7/18/2007 7:48:04 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
A multidisciplinary
approach is when you throw carrots, meat, barley, etc. into a pot to make
a stew but never stir it. One gets servings of the components, but not the
enjoyable flavor of stew. This is like some CRM reports I've read where
the Historian writes chapters 2 and 5, the arch writes chapters 1, 6, and
9, the architect writes chapter 3, but no one puts the whole together to
make some useful contribution to scholarship and understanding, whether in
History or any other field. If a report tells me, well, we found six
butttons, two cracked teacups, and ten nails, and here's the map of where
we found them my response is "so what?"
Carl,
You raise an interesting and relevant point. Equally disturbing is the
historian who attempts to press all tea cup, metal nail, and button counts into
Stanley South's model and then declares his/her history report has mitigated the
proposed bulldozing of the eligible historic archaeology site. In truth, the
historical archaeology "profession" is simply too new to even be recognized
by the Register of Professional Archaeologists or any federal, state or local
agency as distinct from that practiced by prehistorians. As such, the models
our colleagues apply tend to be moving targets each time another issue of
Historical Archaeology hits the bricks. Woe be unto the old timers who spend
years building cumulative data sets testing older research designs. Unlike
your shop, most government archaeologists and property managers find it hard to
distinguish a "good" from "bad" report. Unless we are condemned to forever
remain in graduate seminars and constantly changing our research models and
field approaches to match the latest fashions in trendy digging and data
presentation, I feel there will always be an history graduate who feels his
coursework superior to that of the anthropologist (and vice-a-versa) in the conduct
of historical archaeology. As well, both professions receive considerable pot
shots from the museum, conservation, and archives professions.
As usual, my comments above may be taken as seriously as if we were lounging
in the Colonial Williamsburg bar.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
|