Who are the Leaders in Archaeology Today?

Naturally, at the beginning of a new year (and a new decade, century, and millennium, depending on your pickiness), my thoughts turn to the past. (Okay, my thoughts frequently turn to the past; think of it as a occupational hazard.) The last century saw amazing changes in the field of archaeology, taking it from a parlor game for rich idle white European gentlemen to a rigidly empirical science to something that approaches... well, since we aren't there yet, it's hard to say what the field approaches now. We seem to be more inclusive, we seem at the same time to be nearly torn apart by our differences.

But let's, for the moment, not worry about the past. What would we like to see happen in the future? Not what will be the next specific technique of archaeology--that's too easy. A dating technique, an analysis that will sharpen our abilities to squeeze additional drops of data from our cultural material remains. But what about the theory of archaeology? What's going to happen? Are we going to swing toward the empirical, science-only ideas or will the swing toward holistic, fuzzy-edged anthropology? Who will make the changes in our field that affect us all in subtle and not-so-subtle ways?

And, to be able to do that, I think it's useful to think of the major movers of the last century. Therefore, in alphabetical order, here is my list of the top eleven important or influential archaeologists or archaeological teams of the century:

• Lewis Binford. For his ethnoarchaeological bent, not his relentlessly empirical attitude--but maybe for that, too.
• David L. Clarke. For introducing archaeologists to the geographical concepts of spatial patterning.
• Margaret Conkey and Janet Spector. For reminding us that women are and have always been a significant portion of society.
• Brian Fagan. For his dedication to presenting information to the general public
• Ian Hodder. For broadening the spectrum of data sources for the explanation of a site.
• William Rathje. For reminding us that archaeology is the science of garbage; everyone's garbage.
• Michael Brian Schiffer. For reminding us that time is a corrupting influence, and we are well advised to pay attention to the myriad ways our data are created.
• Michael Shanks and Christopher Tilley. For reminding us that deconstruction, while depressing, can be a fruitful investigation.
• Pat Shipman. For her work exemplifying the use of taphonomy in usewear studies.
• Anta Montet-White. For pointing out the significance of lithic studies.
• Alison Wylie. For demanding an ethical underpinning for our field.

The best news is, all of these people, except for David Clarke, are active researchers, and continue to do influential work in their fields of endeavor.

Disagree with me? Think I've missed someone--or that my Americanist bias is showing? Contribute your vote for the influential leaders of our profession during the 20th century on the Bulletin Board.