A history of Central European archaeology theory, methods, and politics

Abstract

Is Central European archaeology atheoretical? If so, is this because it was (and is?) influenced heavily by German archaeology? Is there such a thing as “a” Central European archaeology at all? This volume approaches these questions from a number of angles. Deriving from a session organised by the German Theoretical Archaeology Group the papers assembled here reveal how universalist thought can be used for nationalist purposes, discuss Kossinnism in Poland and the influence of ”Siedlungsarchaologie”, and highlight how politics have affected the communication of European archaeologists from the very beginning and all through the 20th century. Research attitudes such as empiricism, a “theory follows data” approach, and the “love-hate relationship” of the German tradition towards overt theorising are analysed. The papers also expose a wide array of new topics and research questions that were developed in Central Europe in recent years.

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