Although historical archaeologists often explore similar themes, the intellectual traditions in the United States and the United Kingdom lead to differing interpretations of these themes. The contributions to this innovative volume provide a bridge between a US-based archaeologist and a UK-based archaeologist on the themes of landscape studies, urban archaeology, memory and memorialization, gender studies, the lives of industrial workers, and archaeological biographies. The chapters are not meant to stand in isolation, but rather provide a dialog between both groups. This work explores the strengths of interpretive historical archaeology in the US and the UK, as well as compare and contrast differing approaches. It aims to foster debate and productive collaborations between historical archaeologists from different geographic regions. It will of interest to UK and US-based archaeologists, as well as those performing interpretive historical archaeology in other regions who will benefit from the insights it provides.

Zusammenfassung

Interpretive archaeology meaning the interpretation (social science as opposed to hard science) of archaeology and archaeological artifacts has predominantly been the realm of prehistoric archaeologists. Many historical archaeologists are participating in this disciplinary shift from processualism to post-processualism and interpretation, but to date few have called their work interpretive archaeology.

This volume is based on a session at the Society for Historical Archaeology meeting in 2005. The organizers now editors brought together historical archaeologists from both the UK and the US working in the same areas (industrial landscape, monuments, etc.) but because of their country-based training, their work arises out of differing intellectual traditions. The chapters in each section do not stand in isolation; rather, the authors exchange ideas about what each other has written. They construct dialogues about theories and practices that inform interpretive archaeology on either side of the Atlantic, ends with commentary by two well-known names in interpretive archaeology in the UK and in the States.

Inhalt

Part I. Country Estates/Landscapes: An American Landscape Conversation.- The Archaeology of Estate Landscapes in Eighteenth-Century England.- Part II. Archaeology of 19th century and the Lives of Working People: Section Introduction.- Urban Historical Archaeology: A View from the Golden Gate.- Celebrating Steel City: Historical Archaeology in Sheffield, U.K.- Part III. Conflict and Memorialization: Section Introduction.- "Remembering the Raid of 1704": Writing and Exhibiting Contested Histories in Historic Deerfield.- Monuments, Memory, and Resistance in the Scottish Highlands.- Part IV. Material Culture, Embodiment, Life Course, Identity: Section Introduction.- Stitching Women's Loves: Interpreting the Artifacts of Sewing and Needlework.- The Intimacy of Death: Expressions of Identity and Grief in Medieval and Renaissance Burial Rites.- Part V. Industrial Housing/Landscapes: Section Introduction.- "You Knew Where you Were": Practicing Class in (Post) Industrial Cheshire.- The Study of the Early Industrial Landscapes of the Swansea Region.- Part VI. Archaeological Biographies: Section Introduction.- The Large Writ Small: Landscape, Archaeography, and the Battle for Meaning.- Biographies of Long Life. Part VII. Commentary.