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Archaeology as Anthropology Revisited

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Abstract

Anthropology was established in the USA during the middle of the nineteenth century. From the beginning, archaeology was considered a part of the discipline, a notion that continues to this day. However, over the course of the past 160 years, periodically, the place of archaeology within anthropology is questioned. Often, this has a reflection in the growth or shrinking in membership of the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Association. I explore these trends and try to explain them in terms of the history of anthropology.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Carol Gifford for her excellent editorial suggestions. I thank the officers of the Archaeology Division, 1991: D. Nichols; W. Dolle; C. Costin, and current president, J. Levy for encouragement along with J. Skibo and C. Cameron.

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  1. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    William A. Longacre

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  1. William A. Longacre
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Correspondence to William A. Longacre.

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Longacre, W.A. Archaeology as Anthropology Revisited. J Archaeol Method Theory 17, 81–100 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-010-9080-1

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