Darwinistisk arkeologi
Petter Snekkestad2011, Primitive tider
Can Darwinian concepts invigorate archaeology? This piece argues that biological analogies to human cultural change might serve our discipline well. Through numerous intertwined theoretical branches, like dual inheritance theory, niche construction theory and the application of phylogenetic methods, material culture is put in an explicitly historical relationship. In an evolutionary sense, this relationship is one that underline show artifacts, ideas, or any number of cultural phenomena go through a process of what Darwin described as descent and how these new traits were transmitted (descended)between generations. Hence, variation is not typological noise, but rather an avenue for further temporal and spatial “darwinistisk kulturevolusjon”, or just “DKE”), evolutionary psychology is here seen as a fruitful approach to answering why some widely observed cultural phenomena appear more easily transmitted than others. Evolutionary archaeology does not claim to offer an exclusive explanation to cultural change. On the contrary,other theoretical approaches – like agency theory or chaîne opératoire, to name a few – can complement or correct the analogy from biological evolution to human cultural change is just that; an analogy. It cannot adopt the straightforward causality of genetic inheritance and mutation. However, the framework still translates keenly to the study of cultural evolution. The social sciences harbour a deep suspicion towards Darwinism. The many twisted misuses of evolutionary theoryin previous centuries have turned it into a dirty word. The article argues that the impact of post-processual thought on Scandinavian archaeology, which in part positioned itself through an ideological critique of Darwinism, still hinders the application of evolutionary ideas. In particular,the notion of reductionism has made archaeologists waryof studying human behaviour in light of naturalism or generality. Yet, cautiously applied reductionism is useful in explaining certain historical dynamics.
