This weekend I heard an excellent presentation by Michael Parker Pearson
(Research School of Archaeology and Archaeological Sciences, 2 Mappin Street,
Sheffield, England S1 4DT) on historical archaeology he (through his university)
and the Muse d'Art et D'Archaeologie are conducting in southern Madagascar.
They have a very well-rounded research program that relies not only on
archaeology but also on oral histories and documentary evidence such as that of
the English East India Company travels and shipwrecks in that area.  I am sure
Dr. Parker Pearson would be more than happy to discuss his work and might be
able to provide some bibliographic references for the new historical archaeology
class.