Chapter 13. Whither Ethnoarchaeology?

ABSTRACT

In the face of advancing world economies and traditional technologies that are rapidly being replaced by industrial products, what will ethnoarchaeology be able to offer in the future? There will undoubtedly always continue to exist small pockets of traditional technology that persist and that can be studied to good effect. However, perhaps a shift in focus in ethnoarchaeology might be more productive. I suggest that ethnoarchaeology can benefit by reorienting its emphasis toward (1) the study of sociopolitical dynamics of small traditional communities (the fundamentals of which may not have changed significantly or have changed in predictable and evident fashions) and (2) the study of reasons for cultural changes, specifically of traditional cultures when confronting world economies, government policies, and world religions. This latter focus has the potential for developing a robust body of theory that ethnoarchaeology can claim as its own. Other areas where traditional behaviors may persist over the long term include household dynamics, especially in the use of space. Memory culture, too, can continue to be a rich source of information and modeling for some time to come. In addition, the usefulness of ethnoarchaeology for teaching and learning about traditional cultures and interactions with material culture will continue to be unparalleled in the long term.