Der Ort der Theorie in der Prähistorischen Archäologie: Gedanken zur aktuellen Debatte im deutschsprachigen Raum

Abstract

The paper presents an outline of and a comment on the present state of the debate on the place of theory in the archaeological sciences – with special reference on prehistoric archaeology and on the German-speaking countries. At the same time, it tries to find out what exactly defines a theoretical archaeology and which benefits and side effects may result from it for our efforts at knowledge within archaeology as a whole. The presentation combines theoretical reflections on the nature of theory, remarks on the history and structure of theoretical archaeology and on a critical analysis of current archaeological theory and practice. Theory building within archaeology is presented here as a constant process of reevaluation of the scholarly practice because its results are questioned to a certain degree with the progression of scholarly research. This forces archaeologists constantly to rethink and reformulate their scholarly and scientific practice in abstract terms. Where such a feedback is absent, archaeology lacks a central element of disciplinary self-criticism and dynamisation. In this sense theory building and the claim to act scientifically are inseparably connected.