10.03.2020 Publ sh ng Archaeology: Is archaeology a soc al sc ence?

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Publishing Archaeology
Thursday, February 10, 2011 About This Blog

This blog contains information and

Is archaeology a social science? opinions (mostly mine) on professional
publishing issues in archaeology. I am
especially concerned with quality control
I've been skimming through the "World Social Science Report" from 2010, and reflecting on the
(epistemology, rigor, and such), open
extent to which archaeology is, or should be, part of the wider social sciences. Here I just have
access, and communication with other
time for a few quick observations. disciplines.
The National Science Foundation classifies archaeology as a social science in some
My books include: At Home with the
ways. The Archaeology program is part of the Directorate of Social, Behavioral, and
Aztecs: An Archaeologist Uncovers their
Economic Sciences, but it is NOT part of the Division of Social and Economic
Daily Life (2016), The Comparative
Sciences with the other major social sciences. Instead, we are part of the Division of Archaeology of Complex Societies (2011),
Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, which includes psychology, geography, and Aztec City-State Capitals (2008). Read a
"Anthropological Sciences," which in turn includes archaeology review of the 2008 book from Urban History.
The Thomson-Reuters journal classification system classifies archaeology as part of
the humanities. This affects searching, journal comparisons, etc.
About Me
The World Social Science Report barely discusses archaeology. It is mentioned a
Michael E. Smith
number of times, generally when giving a list of subdisciplines of anthropology,
although it is listed as a discipline of its own a couple of times. But my brief skim I am an archaeologist who
suggests that archaeology is not taken into account very seriously in the syntheses or works on Aztec sites and
recommendations of that document. Teotihuacan.I do comparative
and transdisciplinary research
The position of archaeology as a "subdiscipline" of anthropology may contribute to its
on cities, and also households,
isolation from other social sciences, a universe in which (cultural) anthropology is empires, and city-states. I view my discipline,
often seen as an isolated outlier. For example a recent book presenting a unified archaeology, as a Comparative Historical
methodological approach for the social sciences (Gerring 2011) pretty much dismisses Social Science.
anthropology as too interpretivist, too humanities-oriented to be included with My home page
sociology, political science, economics, and other social sciences. The science flap at My papers to download
the AAA does not help here. My page on Academia.edu
Twitter: @MichaelESmith
The predominance of high-level social-philosophical theorizing in much of I am Professor in the School of Human
archaeology today also keeps archaeology isolated from other social sciences, where Evolution & Social Change at Arizona State
such theory is in the minority. For my take on this issue of theory, see Smith (2011). If University; Affiliated Faculty in the School of
archaeologists want to ally themselves with the humanities, then agency, identity, Geographical Science and Urban Planning;
negotiation, post-structuralism and the like are fine, but for a more more grounded Fellow, ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex
social-scientific approach to archaeology, a different kind of theory is needed (I have Systems; Core Faculty in the Center for Social
Dynamics Complexity. Also, I have an
found Mjøset 2001 and 2009 are very helpful in sorting out the theoretical terrain in
affiliation with the Colegio Mexiquense in
both archaeology and the broader social sciences).
Toluca, Mexico.
I think many anthropological archaeologists see archaeology as part of a more
View my complete profile
scientific discipline of anthropology, and as such archaeology (and anthropology), are
social sciences for this reason. I am less sanguine about the broader scientific status
of anthropology (either "four-field anthropology" or cultural anthropology), and I'd Some Blogs I Like
rather see archaeology try to be its own social science without the baggage of
Retraction Watch
anthropology. (Of course this is completely unrealistic given current university
Why — even after reforms for an episode
disciplinary organization and politics). I am making an intellectual argument, not a involving bad statistics — is it so difficult
structural argument here. to correct the sports medicine literature?
Part 1
NEVERTHELESS, hope spring eternal, as they say. Perhaps some of us can convince other
social scientists that archaeology has something to contribute to understanding human society john hawks weblog
since the Urban Revolution, including contemporary society. (Prior to the Urban Revolution, the A look at a 'total genomic information'
world
other social sciences are clueless, so it seems quite obvious that archaeology has a major role to
play there). UnderstandingSociety
Fascist attacks on democracy
Gerring, John
Calixtlahuaca Archaeological Project
2011 Social Science Methodology: A Unified Framework. Cambridge University Press, New Publication Updates
York.
Middle Savagery
Mjøset, Lars INELIGIBLE Exhibition: Shoe

2001 Theory: Conceptions in the Social Sciences. In International Encyclopedia of the Social Wide Urban World
and Behavioral Sciences, edited by Neil J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes, pp. 15641-15647. Social Infrastructure in Cities Today: Eric
Elsevier, New York. Klinenberg's “Palaces for the People”

Savage Minds
2009 The Contextualist Approach to Social Science Methodology. In The Sage Handbook of Savage Minds is dead! Long live
Case-Based Methods, edited by David Byrne and Charles C. Ragin, pp. 39-68. Sage, London. anthro{dendum}!

What Makes Us Human

Smith, Michael E. 2011 Empirical Urban Theory for Archaeologists. Journal of Archaeological
Family Reunion
Method and Theory 18:(in press).
Neuroanthropology
From the Archives: Asifa Majid on
Posted by Michael E. Smith at 9:25 AM language and olfaction

Labels: Archaeology and other disciplines, Social science

Top 50 Archaeology
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10.03.2020 Publ sh ng Archaeology: Is archaeology a soc al sc ence?

6 comments:
Publishing
Archaeology Blog
by Michael E. Smith
Anonymous said... is licensed under a
"I'd rather see archaeology try to be its own social science without the baggage of Creative Commons
anthropology." License.
__________
I hope you never ever get your way on this. I am a trained anthropologist who does
archaeology. Anthropology first, archaeology second. In fact, in Europe, many archaeologists
also do not see themselves as part of anthropology but as part of history. Many of these folks
seem to be promoters of the theory you dislike. I too am critical of vacuous theory. But not
anthropology. It is funny how archaeologists sometimes accuse other archaeologists of being
theory-mongers for talking about issues that have been at the heart of anthropology for a Labels
century (cf. part of Costin's review in a recent AP3A). If I had to choose between anthropology
and archaeology, I would choose anthropology. Every time. How can archaeology becoming a 2012 (1)
separate discipline prevent isolation and enhance its relevance. Simple. It cannot. If one is an AAA (14)
anthropologist one is not only holistic in terms of perspective but is holistic in terms of Academia.edu (5)
methods. If there are cultural anthropologists who disagree, maybe archaeologists should do
Academic freedom (1)
a better job of engaging cultural anthropologists' interests in contemporary issues rather than
fleeing in reactionary rage. Academic imperialism (1)
Academic integrity (2)
February 11, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Activist archaeology (1)
ada (1)
Marcus said... Agrarian states (1)
I agree on your main points, but this caught my eye: Aliens (1)
Anarchism (1)
"The predominance of high-level social-philosophical theorizing in much of archaeology today
Anthropocene (1)
also keeps archaeology isolated from other social sciences, where such theory is in the
minority." Anthropology (8)
Archaeology and anthropology (2)
There is in fact very little credible HLT theorizing in archaeology that can stand up to rigorous Archaeology and history (1)
philosophical analysis. Very little!
Archaeology and other disciplines (44)
February 11, 2011 at 3:56 PM Archaeology and the media (21)
Archaeology and the public (22)
Archaeology in Europe (1)
Michael E. Smith said...
Archaeology websites (1)
@Anonymous - "Reactionary rage"? Hmmmmmm. If one imagines an ideal 4-field
anthropology, then I would be happy to be part of such a discipline. But when I look at Archaeometry (1)
anthropology today, I see subdisciplines that typically don't talk to one another. I see much of Argument and debate (1)
cultural anthropology wrapped up in postmodern nonsense, along with a strong sense of Arguments (4)
disdain for archaeology. I see an organization (the AAA) more interested in politics than AtHomeWithAztecs (2)
scholarship. I find much more intellectual common ground with urban history, urban
Authorship (1)
geography, and other fields than I do with cultural anthropology today.
Aztecs (3)
Like many anthropological archaeologists, you frame the choice as between anthropological Beer (1)
archaeology and a non-social sterile and isolated archaeology. I favor a different choice:
Bias (4)
intellectual context and depth from other social science disciplines. My views are based on my
Bibliographic research (1)
own experiences, and I'm not sure they work for other kinds of archaeological research.
Bibliographies (6)
You suggest that: "archaeologists should do a better job of engaging cultural anthropologists' Big data (2)
interests in contemporary issues." I have made quite an effort to do exactly this over the last 2 Big history (1)
years. I have done things like:
Big questions (2)
- tried to publish on ancient-modern urban comparisons in Current Anthropology (they Binford (1)
rejected the paper that ended up in CAJ-2010; it was clear that the cultural anthro reviewers biographies (4)
had no idea what I was talking about and no interest in exploring these issues). Blogging (11)

- participated in cultural anthropology blogs and listservs. Bogus professional activities (2)
Book reviews (19)
- tried unsuccessfully to start a discussion of how archaeology relates to cultural anthropology Books (7)
on the AAA blog. Brisket (1)

- communicated with individual urban anthropologists by email to try to set up a dialogue. Budget cuts (1)
Bullshit (1)
I don't feel any rage about cultural anthropology, or the discipline or the AAA. What I feel is a Carl Sagan (1)
deep disappointment, coupled with an intellectual excitement that comes from other social
Case studies (1)
science fields but not from anthropology. I'm not sure how this could be considered
Causality (2)
"reactionary," though.
Cave men (1)
February 12, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Censorship (1)
Charles Tilly (1)
FrostQueen said... Chicharron (1)
At my school where I teach anthropology is not even in the Social Science Department! We Citation data (8)
are all in the Earth Sciences and Anthropology Department. Things to come? climate (1)
Its not a bad thing it is sort of freeing as a matter of fact. collapse (1)
February 17, 2011 at 9:10 AM Commercial publishers (2)
Commercialization of scholarship (18)
Communication of scholarship (4)
Michael E. Smith said...
Community (2)
Earth Sciences is attractive for a number of reasons, not least of which is that there will be
Comparisons (7)
less postmodern nonsense or hand-wringing about whether we do science or not.
Concepts (4)
February 17, 2011 at 8:20 PM
Conferences (6)
Contemporary relevance of archaeology (5)
Unknown said... Controversies (1)

Here at kyambogo university we study archaeology not only as a science but also we can Copy-editing (1)
clalify it as a social basic approval of our evolution. That is to say science appears as a Crystal skulls (1)
catalyst in archaeological experiments such as dating and many others Cultural Evolution (3)
April 17, 2018 at 3:43 AM Data and theory (1)

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