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Archaeology, symmetry and the ontology of things. A response to critics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2015

Bjørnar Olsen  and
Christopher Witmore
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Abstract

This article responds to recent critiques of ‘symmetrical archaeology’. It addresses three common claims: (1) that symmetrical archaeology fails to see a difference between living and non-living entities, (2) that symmetrical archaeology makes no room for humans and other living things, (3) that symmetrical archaeology lacks any sincere ethical concern for things. This article demonstrates how these claims are based on common misunderstandings or misreadings, and offers further clarifications as to its perspective on ontology, ethics and things.

Keywords

symmetrical archaeologysymmetrythingsethicsontology
Type
Provocation
Information
Archaeological Dialogues , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , December 2015 , pp. 187 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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