Christopher Tilley
Encyclopedia
Chris Tilley is a British archaeologist known for his contributions to postprocessualist archaeological theory
. He is currently Professor of Anthropology
and Archaeology
at University College London
.
Tilley obtained his PhD
in Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Cambridge
, where he was a student of Ian Hodder
. In the early 1980s, Hodder and his students at Cambridge first developed postprocessualism, an approach to archaeology stressing the importance of interpretation and subjectivity
, strongly influenced by the Neo-Marxist
Frankfurt School
. Tilley and his early collaborator Daniel Miller
were amongst the most strongly relativist
of first wave postprocessualist archaeologists, and was particularly critical of what he saw as the negative political implications of positivist
processual archaeology
. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Tilley moved away from the structuralist
approach pursued by Hodder and, along with Michael Shanks
and Peter Ucko
, advocated a position of strong relativism. For Shanks and Tilley, academic
interpretations of the archaeological record have no more legitimacy than any other, and they view claims to the contrary as elitist
attempts to control the past, asserting that "there is no way of choosing between alternative pasts except on essentially political grounds."
In a 1989 paper of his published in the academic journal Antiquity
, Tilley openly criticised the aims of rescue excavation, arguing that it was simply designed to collect "more and more information about the past", most of which would remain unpublished and of no use to either archaeologists or the public. As he related, "The number of pieces of information we collect about the past may increase incrementally - our understanding does not." Instead he argued that the archaeological community in the western nations should cease their constant accumulation of new data from rescue digs and instead focusing on producing interpretive frameworks with which to interpret it, and also on publishing the backlog of data produced from decades of excavation.
Tilley is credited with introducing phenomenology into archaeology with his 1994 work A Phenomenology of Landscape. Phenomenology in archaeology
entails the 'intuitive' study of material things, especially landscapes
, in terms of their meanings to people in the past, and has been influential in both Britain and the United States.
Archaeological theory
Archaeological theory refers to the various intellectual frameworks through which archaeologists interpret archaeological data. There is no one singular theory of archaeology, but many, with different archaeologists believing that information should be interpreted in different ways...
. He is currently Professor of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Tilley obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he was a student of Ian Hodder
Ian Hodder
Ian Hodder FBA is a British archaeologist and pioneer of postprocessualist theory in archaeology that first took root among his students and in his own work between 1980-1990...
. In the early 1980s, Hodder and his students at Cambridge first developed postprocessualism, an approach to archaeology stressing the importance of interpretation and subjectivity
Subjectivity
Subjectivity refers to the subject and his or her perspective, feelings, beliefs, and desires. In philosophy, the term is usually contrasted with objectivity.-Qualia:...
, strongly influenced by the Neo-Marxist
Neo-Marxism
Neo-Marxism is a loose term for various twentieth-century approaches that amend or extend Marxism and Marxist theory, usually by incorporating elements from other intellectual traditions, such as: critical theory, psychoanalysis or Existentialism .Erik Olin Wright's theory of contradictory class...
Frankfurt School
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School refers to a school of neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory, particularly associated with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
. Tilley and his early collaborator Daniel Miller
Daniel Miller (anthropologist)
Daniel Miller is an anthropologist most closely associated with studies of our relationships to things and the consequences of consumption. His theoretical work was first developed in Material Culture and Mass Consumption and is summarized more recently in his book Stuff...
were amongst the most strongly relativist
Relativism
Relativism is the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration....
of first wave postprocessualist archaeologists, and was particularly critical of what he saw as the negative political implications of positivist
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
processual archaeology
Processual archaeology
Processual archaeology is a form of archaeological theory that had its genesis in 1958 with Willey and Phillips' work Method and Theory in American Archeology, in which the pair stated that "American archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing" , a rephrasing of Frederic William Maitland's...
. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Tilley moved away from the structuralist
Structuralism
Structuralism originated in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague and Moscow schools of linguistics. Just as structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, structuralism...
approach pursued by Hodder and, along with Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks (archaeologist)
Michael Shanks is a British archaeologist who has specialized in Classical archaeology and archaeological theory. He received his BA and PhD from Cambridge University, and was a lecturer at the University of Wales, Lampeter before moving to the United States of America in 1999 to take up a Chair...
and Peter Ucko
Peter Ucko
Peter John Ucko FRAI FSA was an influential English archaeologist, noted for being the Professor Emeritus of Comparative Archaeology and also the former Executive Director of University College London's Institute of Archaeology. He was also noted for his organisation of the first World...
, advocated a position of strong relativism. For Shanks and Tilley, academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
interpretations of the archaeological record have no more legitimacy than any other, and they view claims to the contrary as elitist
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
attempts to control the past, asserting that "there is no way of choosing between alternative pasts except on essentially political grounds."
In a 1989 paper of his published in the academic journal Antiquity
Antiquity (journal)
Antiquity is an academic journal dedicated to the subject of archaeology. It publishes four editions a year, covering topics worldwide from all periods. Its current editor is Martin Carver, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of York....
, Tilley openly criticised the aims of rescue excavation, arguing that it was simply designed to collect "more and more information about the past", most of which would remain unpublished and of no use to either archaeologists or the public. As he related, "The number of pieces of information we collect about the past may increase incrementally - our understanding does not." Instead he argued that the archaeological community in the western nations should cease their constant accumulation of new data from rescue digs and instead focusing on producing interpretive frameworks with which to interpret it, and also on publishing the backlog of data produced from decades of excavation.
Tilley is credited with introducing phenomenology into archaeology with his 1994 work A Phenomenology of Landscape. Phenomenology in archaeology
Phenomenology (archaeology)
In archaeology, phenomenology applies to the use of sensory experiences to view and interpret an archaeological site or cultural landscape. It first came to widespread attention among archaeologists with the publication of Christopher Tilley's A Phenomenology of Landscape , in which he suggested it...
entails the 'intuitive' study of material things, especially landscapes
Landscape archaeology
Landscape archaeology is the study of the ways in which people in the past constructed and used the environment around them. Landscape archaeology is inherently multidisciplinary in its approach to the study of culture, and is used by both pre-historical, classic, and historic archaeologists...
, in terms of their meanings to people in the past, and has been influential in both Britain and the United States.