Archaeology in 1984.

Abstract

Is archaeology a soft science or an expensive humanity? What is the role of the distant past in modern Western society? Is the past that interests the archaeologist of interest to the general public, many of whom may think archaeology useless and a complete waste of money? Are the pasts which archaeologists create socially neutral? In suggesting answers to some of these questions, the author argues for a post-processual or contextual archaeology in which interpretations of the past should take greater account of meaning, the individual, culture and history. -after Author