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Thoughts on a Method for Zooarchaeological Study of Quotidian Life

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Thoughts on a Method for Zooarchaeological Study of Quotidian Life View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert Interpreting household practices Barcelona, 21-24 november 2007 Treballs d’Arqueologia 13 (2007): 5-27 THOUGHTS ON A METHOD FOR ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF QUOTIDIAN LIFE Diane Gifford-Gonzalez Abstract: The emerging focus on the structures and practices everyday life in archaeology allows us to envision the full range of occupations, activities, and actors involved in social and ecological maintenance and reproduction. Despite this, archaeological interpretation still tends to be framed in terms of grand narratives, in which the "story" is about the agency of large-scale processes as they play out in human existence. This paper offers some comments on these problems from the perspective of a zooarchaeologist analysis, exploring more deeply the articulation of mid- dle-range archaeological theory to practice theory. Resumen: El creciente interés de la arqueología en las estructuras y prác- ticas cotidianas permite contemplar la amplia gama de ocupaciones, actividades y actores que participan del mantenimiento y reproducción social y ecológico. A pesar de ésto, las interpretaciones arqueológicas siguen tendiendo a estructurarse en términos de las grandes narrativas, en las cuales la narración prima los procesos a largo plazo sobre la exis- tencia humana. En este artículo se comentan estos problemas desde una perspectiva zooarqueológica, explorando con mayor profundidad la articulación de la teoría arqueológica de rango medio con la teoría de la práctica y con otras aportaciones teóricas de orden general. Resum: L’interés creixent de l’arqueologia en les estructures i pràctiques quotidianes permet la contemplació de l’ampla varietat d’ocupacions, activitats i actors que participen en el manteniment i la reproducció social i ecològica. Maltrat això, les interpretacions arqueològiques ten- deixen encara a estructurar-se en termes de processos a llarg termini sobre la existència humana. En aquest article es comenten aquests prob- lemes des d’una perspectiva zooarqueològica de nivell mig amb la teoria de la pràctica i amb altres aportacions teòriques d’ordre general. 5 Thoughts on a method for zooarchaeological study of quotidian life Henry James repeats an incident which the writer Prosper Mérimée described, of how, while he was living with George Sand, he once opened his eyes, in the raw winter dawn, to see his companion in a dressing-gown, on her knees before the domestic hearth, a candle-stick beside her and a red madras round her head, making bravely, with her own hands the fire that was to enable her to sit down betimes to urgent pen and paper. The story represents him as having felt that the specta- cle chilled his ardor and tried his taste, her appearance unfortunate, her occupation an inconsequence, and her industry a reproof – the result of all which was a lively irritation and an early rupture (James in Shapiro (ed.) 1963:157-58). Adrienne Rich, On Lies, Secrets, and Silence, 1979 Introduction past. The dislocation of these small practices, their prevention or post- Household maintenance activities ponement, is one of the aims of ter- are intrinsically social, involving rorism, in its mission to destabilize various divisions of labor and sup- the sense of security and normalcy porting relationships among the possessed by everyday people, and members of domestic groups and thereby to discredit the power of the larger communities of which states of ensure such conditions for they are part. Moreover, only a lit- their citizens. We see about us, tle reflection will indicate that the regardless of pronouncements and small maintenance practices of grand gestures by heads of state, daily life – making the morning cup that the common person’s resist- of coffee, collecting and reading the ance to terrorism is to continue daily newspaper, or logging on to those everyday practices in the face the online version, feeding a pet, of heightened risk in doing so. feeding the children – are them- selves rituals, which make our quo- This paper is an essay, in the sense tidian lives feel safe and secure. As of “un ensayo,” an attempt, to Bourdieu would have it, we struc- explore conceptual linkages within ture our new day through these archaeological method and theory. small acts that arise from the struc- My attempt here begins with my tures of everyday life as lived in our fundamental belief that archaeo- 6 Diane Gifford-Gonzalez logical interpretation must be still in the process of developing a based in a verifiable body of evi- clear understanding of how we dence from which plausible inter- evaluate the archaeological data pretations are made. By “evidence,” and interpretations are embedded I do not mean a positivist view of in arguments, that is, how and why “facts speaking for themselves,” but we believe some to be plausible and rather, as Wylie (1992) has insist- others less so. This area of inquiry ed, that arguments for the occur- has largely been overshadowed by rence of past events, everything debates over processual versus from the collapse of an economy to postprocessual theory. However, instances of spousal abuse, must be as archaeology moves onward from based upon the existence of inter- this confrontation –or in the case of pretable evidence upon which much of Europe– in parallel with it, there is some agreement among it becomes clear that, when archae- observers. ologists of any theoretical persua- sion make arguments about what By “interpretable evidence upon went on in the past, the plausibili- which there is some agreement,” I ty or “truth claims” of specific evi- mean those meanings of the evi- dence, is absolutely essential to the dence (counting here both inter- process. The intention of this essay pretations of objects and of pat- is to focus on such issues, with terning in data drawn from objects respect to studying households, as evidence) that most archaeolo- social relations, and gender. gists are willing to accept as strongly warranted “givens.” By It may be good to specify a bit more “plausible,” I mean commonly about my own theoretical leanings agreed upon touchstones to which and why I have felt the need to we can resort when developing draw from several theoretical and arguments that account for methodological sources. I write changes (or lack of them) over time and speak from the position of a in the human lives we wish to zooarchaeologist with strong study. This area of evaluating plau- interests in building theory and sibility pertains to what David method in my own subfield for Clarke (1973) called “archaeologi- studying social relations, including cal metaphysics.” I believe we are gender. If only because I view 7 Thoughts on a method for zooarchaeological study of quotidian life human subsistence as intrinsically pels me to view pastoralists in the social, I have long believed that ani- context of regional ecosystems and mals and their use by people must the non-negotiable demands that be viewed in a social matrix. the weather and the herd animals make upon these people. Likewise, For some thirty-five years, I have my own experience compels me to analyzed faunas from African sites see pastoral people as actors in with early pastoral livestock complex political, economic, and (Gifford et al. 1980; Gifford- ideological webs that both mediate Gonzalez 2000, 1998). I also have and clash with environmental spent time with contemporary pas- trends, and that structure their toralists, and have read widely on choices in managing their live- pastoral peoples in various set- stock, households, and social rela- tings. In the process, I have tionships. Finally, I have seen first- assessed a range of theoretical per- hand and read about how men and spectives for their utility in think- women negotiate their lives from ing about the issues that concern very different social positions in me. I have found three only partial- pastoralist groups, where age as ly compatible fields to be useful. well as gender delegates to a per- First, there is evolutionary ecology son specific rights, responsibilities, (including behavioral ecology), and limitations. which views human choices and actions over the long term as mak- Sometimes these theoretical ing sense in evolutionary terms. worlds are remarkably compatible, Second, there is structural Marxist for example, as when behavioral theory, which focuses on relations ecological and Marxist paradigms of social power, of resource control take a fundamentally economic and acquisition, of production and approach. Both share a concern distribution, on a shorter-term with the costs and benefits of time scale. Finally, there is femi- efforts humans exert to achieve nism, addressing other aspects of goals within a social context, albeit difference and power, and the viewed from very different stand- observer/interpreter’s position. points and calibrated with differ- ent currencies. Likewise, feminist My own personal experience com- and Marxist theory share preoccu- 8 Diane Gifford-Gonzalez pations with power, ideology, and historic continuities with textually the position of the viewer/investi- documented groups. I am not here gator, but their commitments suggesting new theory and sometimes diverge. These method. Rather, I am bringing into approaches occasionally contradict juxtaposition extant ones that thus each other in troublesome but far, to the best of my knowledge, interesting ways. I believe that the have not been explicitly related to friction itself is a context for defin- one another. My hope is that this ing in more detail what is needed thought-experiment might pro- to work productively with archae- voke others to consider the possi- ological materials. bilities of multiple approaches to investigating this vital area of However, when I resort to these archaeological research. bodies of theory, what is consistent is drawing perspectives and expec- Zooarchaeology and Domestic tations from them and then of Maintenance Activities assigning meaning to actual archaeological materials, with A brief note is necessary here which to confront and assess those regarding my use of the word, expectations.
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