Middle-range theory (archaeology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Middle-range theory (Archaeology))
 |
This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (May 2009) |
The middle range theory in archaeology links archaeological data describing how people use objects with the human behaviors or natural processes associated with this use. Middle range research attempts to provide archaeology with the tools needed to infer behaviors from the archaeological finds.
Lewis Binford, the main advocate of the middle range theory, conducted ethnographic fieldwork among the Nunamiut Eskimo, the Navajo, and the Australian aborigines. He tested the theory applying archaeological concepts and methodology to the analysis of contemporary garbage. Binford developed the middle range theory concept as applied in archeology from the sociological middle range theory of Robert K. Merton.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- D.H. Thomas, 2006. Archaeology, 4th Edition. Thomson Wadsworth.
- C. Pierce, 1989. A Critique of Middle-Range Theory in Archaeology.
 |
This article relating to archaeology is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
