Tales of the Unexpected. Creativity in Archaeological Interpretation

In this lecture, I consider the nature of archaeological theory in a post-paradigm era and re-flect especially on the function of creativity in archaeological interpretation. Much of the debate about archaeological knowledge, especially in the late 20th century, was caught up in issues of evaluation, objectivity and relativism, while the new millennium has seen a greater focus on describing knowledge-making practices, especially at the coalface, i.e. fieldwork. Certainly, knowledge production, as a practice, is inflected by issues of plausibility and con-viction, but such issues have also tended to monopolize much of the debate. Yet equally im-portant to knowledge production is the problem of novelty. Interpretations don’t just have to be convincing; they also have to tell us something we don’t already know. The question I want to address in this lecture concerns how new knowledge comes about; how do we compre-hend epistemic novelty and how is it nurtured? Such questions also deal quite directly with issues facing every archaeologist as they routinely relate to their data: how do I go about interpreting it? Beyond methods, beyond theoretical paradigms, what is the x factor behind a creative and innovative interpretation?
Gavin M. Lucas

Видео Tales of the Unexpected. Creativity in Archaeological Interpretation канала European Association of Archaeologists