Epistemology in Archaeological Theory

Pre-requisites: Working knowledge of the English language

Course objectives: Familiarization with the key epistemological problems in archaeology as well as the review of epistemological history of archaeology. These questions are important especially for doctoral studies, where independent scientific research is a necessity.

Course description: The course is conceived as general overview of epistemological problems in archaeology as well as a epistemological history of archaeology. It covers the following thematic modules: General epistemological questions in archaeology; Early evolutionary assumptions in archaeology in the 19th century; Culture historical paradigm, especially the pre-processual discussions in European and American culture historical archaeology; New archaeology with a few of its approaches: logical positivism and new archaeology, analytical archaeology, two understandings of the system theory, behavioral archaeology and the mid range theory, problem of analogy in archaeology, why did new archaeology resort to quantification; Postprocessual critique, including the problem of independence of theory and method and the problem of equifinalty; Realism as an alternative to logical positivism and relativism.

Learning Outcomes: Class attendance, essay and a written examination.

Literature/Reading:

• Koen, M. i Nejgel, E. 2004. (1934) Uvod u logiku i naučni metod. Beograd: Jasen.
• Kron, A. 2004. Poreklo i razvoj filozofije pozitivizma. u: Metodologija i filozofija nauke. Odabrani radovi A.Krona.Knj.2. Beograd: Institut za filozofiju Filozofskog fakulteta u Beogradu. 134-141.
• Nejgel, E. 1974 [1961]. Struktura nauke: problemi logike naučnog objašnjenja. Beograd: Nolit.
• Kelley, J.H. and Hanen, M.P. 1988. Archaeology and the Methodology of Science. Albuqerque: University of New Mexico Press.
• Salmon. M. H. 1982. Philosophy and Archaeology. New York: Academic Press.
• Wylie, A. 2002. Thinking from Things: Essays in the Philosophy of Archaeology. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
• Gibbon, G. 1989. Explanation in Archaeology. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
• A. Palavestra, Arheologija i socijalna antropologija (skripta), Filozofski fakultet, Beograd 2007. 1-31; 131-211.
• Wylie, A. 1982. An Analogy by Any Other Name Is Just as Analogical: A Commentary on the Gould Watson Dialogue. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 1: 382-401.
• Wylie, A. 1985. Positivism and the New Archaeology. Ann Arbor: University Mircofilms International.
• Raab, L.M., Goodyear, A.C. 1984. Middle-range theory in archaeology: a critical analysis of origins and applications. American Antiquity 49: 255-268.
• Gould, R.A. and Watson, P.J. 1982. A dialogue on the meaning and use of analogy in ethnoarchaeological reasoning. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 1: 355-381.