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Middle-Range Theory in Archaeology: A Critical Review of Origins and Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

L. Mark Raab  and
Albert C. Goodyear
L. Mark Raab
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, California StateUniversity at Northridge, Northridge, CA 91324
Albert C. Goodyear
Affiliation:
Institute of Archeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
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Abstract

The concept of middle-range theory, arising over three decades ago in sociology, is reviewed. The concept was proposed as an approach to theorizing, urging consolidation of high-order theories with low-order empirical studies. The critical elements in such hierarchies are theories of a middle-range of abstraction. However, most current conceptions of “middle-range theory” in archaeology are far more narrowly conceived. Derived primarily from Binford's work, they continue the New Archaeology's attempt to develop a materialist epistemology for archaeology. In this view, principles of site formation processes are nearly synonymous with “middle-range theory.” The dangers to theory-building of this approach are outlined. Examples of middle-range theory that expand our capacity for explanation of cultural behavior are presented.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , April 1984 , pp. 255 - 268
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1984

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