Method, Theory, and History in the Mississippian World: Papers in Honor of Timothy R. Pauketat

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Method, Theory, and History in the Mississippian World: Papers in Honor of Timothy R. Pauketat" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this symposium, we celebrate the career of Timothy R. Pauketat and reflect on his many contributions to archaeological theory in Mississippian and North American archaeology. Tim’s stellar career of more than 40 years culminates in his role as the State of Illinois archaeologist and the Director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the University of Illinois. While his contributions are many, perhaps his most far reaching has been the development and furthering of theoretical innovations impacting scholars outside of the Mississippian Midwest.

Tim’s scholarship highlights his ability to connect big data sets, drawn from extensive excavations at Cahokia and Cahokia-related sites, with cutting edge theory. His broad historical connections between Indigenous and historic period groups throughout the Americas force us to think about larger theoretical issues including history, agency, materiality, and more recently New Materialisms. Participants in this symposium should engage with how Tim’s research and theoretical developments impact your work while also reflecting on ‘Tim through the ages’. In honoring Tim, we celebrate his career, legacy, friendship, and contributions to anthropological archaeology.