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Contemporary Issues in Archaeological Theory | Home
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Rocky Point Amusement Park, Warwick RI
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Discussion
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Ömür Harmansah

Discussion points

We are having a spectacular return to our theoretical ramblings with a meeting on the idea of "place". Discussions around the concept of "place"/"locality" have been particularly prolific in the last decade, and I hope that we will be able to catch a glimpse of this intriguing debate among the usual suspects, archaeologists, geographers, cultural studies personnel, anthropologists and the rest. I think this discussion will particularly be helpful for the Industrial Ruins project. I would like everyone come prepared to talk briefly about a "place" of their own experience -in the way place has been defined. We'll use those as our paradigms. I will bring my own too.

The readings are a bit unorthodox on place discourse (No Ed Casey this time, the major philosopher of place), but all quite significant. Arjun Appadurai's piece locates the concept of "locality" in the discourses of modernity, post-modernity and globalization. Peter Whitridge's article is an important one published in a special issue of the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory on "Archaeology of Place" (2004). David Turnbull's piece brings together a fascinating archaeological case where issues of place, performance, body and monumentality are brought together. We will finally take a look at a brand new publication by Hamish Forbes, Meaning and Identity in a Greek Landscape. Keffie and Katherine are going to be moderating that discussion. It is very important that everybody reads Forbes's chapter on landscape studies carefully.

• Why does "place" emerge as a problem in humanities and social sciences, precisely today and has not been addressed very well earlier? How did Mediterranean style landscape archaeology treat places in survey areas? How are they defined archaeologically?

• Whitridge's distinction of space and place is quite significant, and it would be useful to elabotae on that. He associates "space" with a universal, abstract, quantifiable category, deployed by "Western spatial sciences" while place is understood as local, meaningful, specific, invested with personal and collective memories and imaginations. How does he attempt to balance this assymmetry?

Places?

A day in the field, a night in the bar?
The importance of quotidian practice in the creation of place amongst archaeological communities (Tom)

Places and Spaces -Reem