Robert L. Schuyler

Archaeological remains, documents, and anthropology: a call for a New culture history

Historical archaeology is either a significant or superfluous endeavor, depending on the level one stands on to critique the discipline. If theoretical questions concerning the nature, dynamics and evolution of cultures are the starting point, or equally if more substantive but similarly broad questions of modern “world systems” are selected, then the results of a quarter century of excavations on historic sites are indeed weak and unconvincing. In contrast, a view grounded on “culture history” or “historic ethnography” finds historical archaeology to be potentially an impressive, productive field, equal in many ways to other data sources including written records. It is suggested that “historic ethnography,” based equally on archaeology and written sources, is the future natural sphere for the archaeological investigations of the modern world (A.D. 1400–20th century).

Historical archaeology in the American West: The view from Philadelphia

An apparent dearth of historical archaeological excavations in western North America is probably an artifact of perception rather than a point of necessary concern. If population and settlement differentials between eastern and western North America are recognized first, then as much historical archaeology occurs west as east of the Mississippi Valley. Perception, even if misleading, is nevertheless significant, and within historical archaeology it should draw attention to a different question. When does the West appear as a distinctive culture area, and how do the internal chronological divisions of its history structure archaeological research?

The society for historical archaeology, 1967–1992: A quarter century of a national archaeological society

Periodization of the first two and a half decades of the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) from its 1967 founding in Dallas to its 25th Annual Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, reveals a gradual evolution quickened by brief, non-contiguous periods of rapid change. These periods are designated the “Three Agendas” of Formation (ca. 1967–1969), Revitalization (ca. 1979–1982), and Expansion (ca. 1992–?). Such “Agendas” are caused by crises, not normal societal activity, and although predetermined they may or may not be recognized or completed.