Librarian, NMAH Branch Library,Smithsonian
Not being either one i wouldn't want to hazard an answer but there is a new
book that addresses the subject "Texture of Industry: an archaeological view
of the industrialization of North America" by Robert B. Gordon and Patrick
Malone , Oxford univ. press, 1994. In the introduction they give a pretty
concise definition of industrial archaeology:"is the study of historic
industrial activity through the analysis of both material and documentary
evidence. It relies on the physical remains of industry to fill gaps in the
documentary record and to provide information that is not easily conveyed in
words or pictures. Material evidence -sites,structures, and artifacts--as well
as the documentary record are interpreted by industrial archaeologists with
methods drawn from archaeometry...field archaeology, art history,
architectural recording, cartography, and other disciplines to supplement the
historical record and reconstruct the texture of industry." The footnote to
this passage refers you to some basic texts on IA. My interpretation is that
IA is a sub-discipline of Hist.Arch. that focuses on work and the workplace.
The field now seems to be expanding to include the surrounding communities and
landscapes of the workplaces including workers housing,commercial stuctures,
etc.
 
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