Archaeological Theory and Snake-Oil Peddling: The Role of Ethnoarchaeology in Archaeology

Abstract By the 1970s ethnoarchaeology took on a more central role in archaeological method and theory. During that era some of the classic ethnoarchaeological projects took place across the globe, all with the general aim of making archaeology more anthropological. Since that time, there have been an increasing number of ethnoarchaeological projects serving not just the original Processual Archaeology goals but also the concerns of an expanding archaeological theory. Despite this increase in ethnoarchaeology, there is a general belief that it does little to serve the concerns of those doing "real archaeology," that is excavating and making inferences about past activity. Through an analysis of citations in American Antiquity, I assess how ethnoarchaeological work has been used by prehistorians and whether there truly is a disjunction between ethnoarchaeological research and prehistoric reconstructions. In doing so, I explore the role of ethnoarchaeology in theory building, whether archaeological theory really matters, and the most productive way to employ ethnoarchaeological research. It is argued that archaeological theories come and go like snake-oil cures but those that last focus on the relationships between people and material culture. One such theory, a performance-based approach, is offered and contrasted with agency and practice theories.