Evolutionary and Interpretive Archaeologies, edited by Ethan E. Cochrane and
Andrew Gardner, grew out of a seminar at the Institute for Archaeology at
University College London in 2007. It consists of 15 chapters by archaeologists
who self-identify themselves as practitioners who emphasize the benefits of
evolutionary or interpretive approaches to the study of the archaeological
record. While the authors' theoretical views are dichotomous, the editors' aim
for the book as a whole is not to expound on the differences between these two
kinds of archaeology but to bring forward a richer understanding of the
discipline and to highlight areas of mutual concern. Some chapters come across
as a bit of a sales pitch, but the majority of the contributions emphasize how
each approach can be productively used to address the goals of the other. The
book seeks to contribute to a mutually beneficial and more productive
discipline, and overall, it succeeds in this effort.