Miriam Stark’s 2003 article takes on the challenging task of reviewing the current research in ethnoarchaeology, highlighting its successes as well as the areas in which she believes more research needs to be done. Her goal is threefold: 1. Identify key trends, 2. Discuss the issues between research and its theoretical underpinnings, 3. Discuss issues relevant to the nature, aims, and practice of ethnoarchaeology. She begins her article with an explanation of ethnoarchaeology’s beginnings. Born from American Western expansion, it originated as a form of salvage archaeology and gained academic credence in the 70s.
Stark identifies areas of the world where this is a great deal of potential and attention, like the work being carried out in parts …show more content…
Finding a gap in knowledge between English and non-English language research, she states that many English speaking scholars are not referencing important materials written in other languages. This calls to a larger issue in academia in general; while scholars in all fields should make more of an effort to explore literature in other languages, it is even more imperative that ethnoarchaoelogists include research written from the scholars in the communities they …show more content…
In discussing research methods, she laments how the interconnectedness of a globalizing community makes it difficult to preserve the past, and how contemporary research deviates from a traditional questioning perspective. These two points can be contested because of the ever-changing nature of both culture and research; as times change, a field’s needs will as well. While globalization may be bringing previously more removed cultures together, it may also help bridge the gap between theoretical divisions and help make more ethnoarchaeological research open to the public. Since archaeologists cannot halt the globalizing process of the world, the best response is to take advantage of the amount of new knowledge it could bring the field. Not only that, but it also gives non-European and Americanist researchers more agency and opportunities to perform etic studies, as well as to publish credible ethnoarchaeological studies from within their
Stark identifies areas of the world where this is a great deal of potential and attention, like the work being carried out in parts …show more content…
Finding a gap in knowledge between English and non-English language research, she states that many English speaking scholars are not referencing important materials written in other languages. This calls to a larger issue in academia in general; while scholars in all fields should make more of an effort to explore literature in other languages, it is even more imperative that ethnoarchaoelogists include research written from the scholars in the communities they …show more content…
In discussing research methods, she laments how the interconnectedness of a globalizing community makes it difficult to preserve the past, and how contemporary research deviates from a traditional questioning perspective. These two points can be contested because of the ever-changing nature of both culture and research; as times change, a field’s needs will as well. While globalization may be bringing previously more removed cultures together, it may also help bridge the gap between theoretical divisions and help make more ethnoarchaeological research open to the public. Since archaeologists cannot halt the globalizing process of the world, the best response is to take advantage of the amount of new knowledge it could bring the field. Not only that, but it also gives non-European and Americanist researchers more agency and opportunities to perform etic studies, as well as to publish credible ethnoarchaeological studies from within their