Old boundaries and new frontiers: Reflections on the identity of archaeology

Abstract

In this paper I demonstrate some major changes within the traditional disciplinary boundaries of archaeology during the last 25-30 years, and the subsequent formation of new frontiers of theory and practice. They are the result of the expansion and diversification of the discipline in modern society. In that process archaeology has lost its former hegemonic identity which is replaced by pluralism and overlapping functions and identities. This has resulted in institutional and organisational discrepances. My analysis serves as a platform for forrnulating a strategy for cooperation between these new sectors, especially the heritage sector and the universities, leading to the formation of a more coordinated archaeological research practice.