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.



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