Lewis Binford
Lewis R. Binford | |
---|---|
Born | American | November 21, 1931
Alma mater | Virginia Tech University of North Carolina University of Michigan |
Known for | Pioneering processual archaeology and ethnoarchaeology Significant contributions to study of the Paleolithic |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Archaeology, Anthropology |
Institutions | University of Chicago University of New Mexico Southern Methodist University |
Lewis Roberts Binford (November 21, 1931 – April 11, 2011) was an American archaeologist known for his influential work in archaeological theory, ethnoarchaeology and the Paleolithic period. He is widely considered among the most influential archaeologists of the later 20th century, and is credited with fundamentally changing the field with the introduction of processual archaeology (or the "New Archaeology") in the 1960s.[1][2] Binford's influence was controversial, however, and most theoretical work in archaeology in the late 1980s and 1990s was explicitly construed as either a reaction to or in support of the processual paradigm.[3] Recent appraisals have judged that his approach owed more to prior work in the 1940s and 50s than suggested by Binford's strong criticism of his predecessors.[4]
Early life and education
Binford was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 21, 1931. As a child he was interested in animals, and after finishing high school at Matthew Fontaine Maury High School[5] studied
After leaving the military Binford went to study anthropology at the
New Archaeology
Binford first became dissatisfied with the present state of archaeology while an undergraduate at UNC. He felt that
Several other archaeologists at Chicago shared Binford's ideas, a group their critics began calling the "New Archaeologists".[13] In 1966 they presented a set of papers at a meeting of the Society for American Archaeology which were later collected in the landmark New Perspectives in Archaeology (1968), edited by Binford and his then wife Sally, also an archaeologist.[14] By the time this volume was published he had left Chicago – dismissed, according to Binford, because of increasing tension between himself and the senior archaeologists in the faculty, particularly Robert Braidwood.[15] He moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara for a year and then on to UCLA. He did not like the atmosphere at UCLA's large faculty, and so took the opportunity to relocate to the University of New Mexico in 1969.[14]
Ethnoarchaeology
Binford withdrew from the theoretical debates that followed the rapid adoption
Later career
Binford joined the Southern Methodist University faculty in 1991, after teaching for 23 years as a distinguished professor at the University of New Mexico.[citation needed]
Binford's last published book, Constructing Frames of Reference (2001), was edited by his then wife, Nancy Medaris Stone. His wife at the time of his death, Amber Johnson, has said that she and a colleague will finish editing a book Binford had in progress at the time of his death.[20]
He died on April 11, 2011, in Kirksville, Missouri, at the age of 79.[21]
Personal life
Binford was married six times. His first marriage was to Jean Riley Mock, with whom he had his only daughter, Martha. Binford also had a son, Clinton, who died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in 1976. He frequently collaborated with his third wife, Sally Binford, who was also an archaeologist; the couple married while they were graduate students at the University of Chicago, and co-edited New Perspectives in Archaeology (1968), among other works. After his marriage to Sally ended, Binford married Mary Ann Howell nee Wilson, an elementary school teacher. His fifth wife was Nancy Medaris Stone, an archaeologist. At the time of his death he was married to Amber Johnson, professor and chair of sociology and anthropology at Truman State University who had worked with Binford as a research student at Southern Methodist University.[2][20][22][23][24]
Influence
Binford is mainly known for his contributions to
Binford was involved in several high-profile debates including arguments with James Sackett on the nature and function of style and on symbolism and methodology with Ian Hodder. Binford has spoken out and reacted to a number of schools of thought, particularly the post-processual school, the behavioural school, and symbolic and postmodern anthropologies. Binford was also known for a friendlier rivalry with French archaeologist François Bordes, with whom he argued over the interpretation of Mousterian sites. Binford's disagreement with Bordes over the interpretation of Mousterian stone artifacts provided the impetus for much of Binford's theoretical work. Bordes interpreted variability in Mousterian assemblages as evidence of different tribes, while Binford felt that a functional interpretation of the different assemblages would be more appropriate. His subsequent inability to explain the Mousterian facies using a functional approach led to his ethnoarchaeological work among the Nunamiut and the development of his middle-range theory.
Awards and recognition
Binford was elected to the
Works
- Constructing frames of reference:an analytical method for archaeological theory building using hunter-gatherer and environmental data sets Berkeley: University of California Press, (2001) ISBN 0-520-22393-4
- Debating Archaeology San Diego: Academic Press, (1989) ISBN 0-12-100045-1
- Faunal Remains from ISBN 0-12-100070-2
- Working at Archaeology (Studies in Archaeology) (1983) ISBN 978-0-12-100060-8
- In Pursuit of the Past: Decoding the Archaeological Record (1983) ISBN 0-520-23339-5
- Bones, Ancient Men and Modern Myths (1981) ISBN 0-12-100035-4
- Nunamiut Ethnoarchaeology (1978) ISBN 0-12-100040-0
- An archaeological perspective New York: Seminar Press, (1972) ISBN 0-12-807750-6
- New Perspectives in Archaeology (1968) ISBN 0-202-33022-2
- Archaeology as Anthropology (1962)
Notes
- ^ Renfrew et al. 2011
- ^ a b Gamble 2011
- ^ Lekson 2001
- ^ Trigger 2006
- ^ "Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 database on-line". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ Renfrew 1987, p. 683
- ^ Renfrew 1987, pp. 683–684
- ^ Renfrew 1987, pp. 684–685
- ^ Renfrew 1987, p. 685
- ^ Renfrew 1987, p. 687
- ^ a b Binford 1962, p. 217
- ^ Trigger 2006, p. 394
- ^ Renfrew 1987, pp. 687–688
- ^ a b Renfrew 1987, pp. 687–689
- ^ Binford 1972, pp. 11–13
- ^ Trigger 2006, pp. 393–394
- ^ Renfrew 1987, p. 689
- ^ Renfrew 1987, p. 691
- ^ Trigger 2006, p. 399; 405
- ^ a b Wilford 2011
- ^ Southern Methodist University 2011
- ^ Jojola 2011
- ^ Thurman 1998
- ^ Miller 2011
- ^ Mayou 2001
- ^ Society for American Archaeology, "Lifetime Achievement Award 2017"
- ^ International Astronomical Union 2011
References
- Binford, L. R. (1962). "Archaeology as Anthropology". American Antiquity. 28 (2): 217–225. S2CID 162242910.
- Binford, L. R. (1972). An Archaeological Perspective. New York: Seminar Press. ISBN 9780128077504.
- Gamble, C. (17 May 2011). "Lewis Binford obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- International Astronomical Union (21 April 2011). "Minor Planet Names: Alphabetical List". IAU Minor Planet Center.
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(help) - Jojola, L. (16 April 2011). "Lewis Binford: Prof Changed Archaeology". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- Lekson, S (November–December 2001). "The Legacy of Lewis Binford". American Scientist. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- Mayou, E. (1 May 2001). "SMU Anthropology Professor Elected to National Academy of Sciences". SMU News. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- Miller, S. (15 April 2011). "Archaeologist Binford Dug Beyond Artifacts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- S2CID 144112064.
- Renfrew, C.; Houston, S.; Raczynski Henk, Y.; Leone, M.; McNutt, C.; Watson, P. J. (2011). "Tributes to Lewis Binford". Antiquity. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- Southern Methodist University (2011). "SMU's Lewis Binford left legacy of change, innovation". Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- Thurman, M. D. (1998). "Conversations with Lewis R. Binford on Historical Archaeology". Historical Archaeology. 32 (2): 28–55. S2CID 163260705.
- ISBN 978-0-521-60049-1.
- Wilford, J. N. (22 April 2011). "Lewis Binford, Leading Archaeologist, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2011.