I think that this topic has brought up a lot of interesting points about
the scope of Historical Archaeology in the United States, and for that
matter all of North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America,
Europe, Asia, Africa, and every where in the world (hope I havent' left
out anyone!).  I do agree that a great deal of historical archaeology is
not global in perspective, whether it be work done in the U.S., England,
Canada, or where ever.  However to say that historical archaeologists in
one area or another are not conscerned with global issues is unfair if not
unfounded.  Most, if not all, archaeologists recognize that the "historic
period" is not an isolated phenomenon, but rather a global event or
occurance.  It must be understood however that in order to place a site or
sites into a global perspective we must first understand the site itself.
Only after this is done, and by understanding the site itself I mean the
bare bone essentials and basics of the site, can we then proceed to place
it in a larger, global perspective.  This is not to imply that in our
interpretations of a site we should not considered its position in the
global economy or world system from the onset, for undoubtedly we should.
But I feel it is after we have a basic understanding of the site, what it
is, who was there, its function, etc., that we should then place it in the
larger context.
 
As an example of what I mean I will briefly mention the work I did for my
MA degree examining the site that has been determined as the probable
location of St. Augustine, FL's first Spanish fort.  While it is true a
number of people would be satisfied with just the details of what was on
the site in terms of the fort's structure, the nearby settlement, artifact
assemblege, etc., it is actually necessary to look at the larger picture.
What was going on in Europe and the rest of the "New World" at the time?
What lessons had been learned from previous excursions and settlements in
Florida, the rest of the New World, and even Europe and Africa before the
establishment of St. Augustine and how were these lessons applied and what
was done differently to enable St. Augustine to become a successful
settlement?  Without looking at a larger, global scale my work would seem
rather isolated and empty to me, and I am sure most archaeologists in the
U.S. would agree that we need this global perspective.
 
I don't think that we here in the U.S. are neglecting the larger global
scale issues.  They may have been underrepresented in the past, but I feel
that that is changing.  As another example a fellow student in my
department is studying historical archaeology in South Africa and jsut
returned from a years field work...yet another example of historical
archaeologists in the US studying global issues.
 
Gifford Waters
Dept. of Anthropology
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL  32611
 
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