Exchanging Medieval Material Culture Studies on archaeology and ...

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Paul Courtney
off access to new members. Erik Nijhof and Peter Scholliers
have elaborated on the German–derived concept of ‘industrial
culture’ to study both the physical and social impact of industrialisation
in the Low Countries180. Commercial archaeology
projects are also being integrated into wider social landscape
projects in the Ironbridge area and Sheffi eld181. Neil Ewins,
David Barker and Yolanda Courtney have respectively studied
aspects of the Staff ordshire ceramic and Birmingham hardware
industries integrating documents and objects182. Th eir interdisciplinary
work has highlighted the complex relationships that
existed between manufacturers, salesmen and customers.
4 Conclusion
Th e expansion of the European Union and the 1992 Valetta
agreement on the protection of European archaeology is
already beginning to see an expansion in European post-medieval
archaeology in the heritage and commercial archaeology
sectors. Yet, the problems of publishing, synthesising and disseminating
data from rescue excavations and recording remain
severe especially in the poorer countries. A further worry is the
scarcity of academic departments teaching post-medieval
archaeology and encouraging research and synthesis.
International conferences, informal contacts and the internet
180 Nijhof & Scholliers 1996; Nijhof 2004.
181 Belford 2004; Symonds 2006.
182 Ewins 1997; Barker 2004; Courtney 2000;
Idem 2004b.
will thus continue to be vital in spreading ideas. However, not
only linguistic barriers but important methodological and philosophical
diff erences divide European archaeology183. Anglo-
Americans also have to be sensitive to the fact that their linguistic
dominance of academic publishing and the internet
may lead them being seen as cultural imperialists rather than
as missionary pioneers. Yet it is important that ideas fl ow freely
and that diversity in approach refl ects informed and free choice
rather than nationalistic proscription.
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank Deirdre O’Sullivan and Audrey Horning for
their comments on this paper. It has had a long and chequered
history having been commissioned a decade ago for an
American collection, for whose recent revival I eventually
wrote a more polemic sister-piece184. However, I welcome the
opportunity to dedicate this paper to my colleague and friend
Prof. Dr. Frans Verhaeghe. In addition to a shared love of cats,
fi ne food and malt whiskey, his friendship and theoretical/
international/interdisciplinary musings have inspired me over
the years. Beste wensen Frans. Ik hoop spoedig archeologie met
u te kunnen bespreken in een goed Vlaams restaurant.
—
183 Courtney 2009a.
184 Ibid.