What About Us? – On Archaeological Objects (or the Objects of Archaeology)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2015.08Keywords:
Ontology, epistemology, post-Kantian philosophies, thing, process, past, archaeological archive, inference, hyper- objectAbstract
The introduction of Object-Oriented philosophies has resulted in the development of two main atti- tudes to the study of the past. Some scholars have suggested the development of archaeologies that fo- cus on the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record – inviting a more descriptive approach to doing archaeology – whereas others have used simi- lar frameworks to revitalize the study of social pro- cesses. Both tendencies lean towards archaeologies that embrace ontological enquiry, moving away from questions of human access. In a reflection re- garding things, archives and social processes, this article strives for enquiries which favour theoretical examination that encompasses the study of reality as well as the study of the ways in which archaeolo- gists gain knowledge about the past.
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