Towards a Cumulative Practice: Reflections on the Influence of Marley R. Brown III

Summary

In 1999, Marley Brown defined his approach to historical archaeology as a 'cumulative practice marked by proper respect for the role of theory… but one which privileges the discovery of real and significant patterning in the archaeological record.’  Along with imposing intellectual rigour on archaeological interpretation, Marley has always sought new ways of discovering, recording, and ‘disciplining’ data, applying rigorous sampling methods; prioritizing environmental data; embracing GIS and digital recording in the 1980s. This willingness to take risks also once led him to entrust a 25 year-old graduate student with running the first archaeological fieldwork at Jamestown since the 1950s. Drawing from that experience and my subsequent career on both sides of the Atlantic, I will reflect upon the centrality of Marley’s influence not only on my own career, but more importantly upon the global practice of historical archaeology and particularly comparative colonialism.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015   •
• Making waves: A celebration of the scholarship and influence of Marley Roberts Brown III

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 62