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Legitimation and the Classification of Archaeological Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mark P. Leone  and
Parker B. Potter Jr.
Mark P. Leone
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Parker B. Potter Jr.
Affiliation:
New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, P.O. Box 2043, Concord, NH 03302-2043
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Abstract

A good deal of archaeology is conducted within the context of historic preservation, which means that many American archaeologists are faced with the issue of determining site significance. In this essay, we turn to critical theory as a way of complementing the positivist basis for determining site significance. Among the critical theorists, Jurgen Habermas offers a way of examining and understanding a connection between knowledge about the past and the interests of contemporary Americans.

Resumen

Resumen

Una gran parte de la arqueología se desarrolla en el marco de la preservación histórica, lo que significa que muchos arqueólogos norteamericanos se ven enfrentados al problema de cómo determinar la relevancia de cada yacimiento. En este trabajo, utilizamos la teoría crítica como complemento de una base positivista para establecer la importancia de un yacimiento. El teórico Jurgen Habermas ofrece un modo de analizar y comprender la relación entre el conocimiento del pasado y los intereses de la población actual de los Estados Unidos.

Type
Forum
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 57 , Issue 1 , January 1992 , pp. 137 - 145
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1992

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