The Case Study in Archaeological Theory

Abstract

The case study is a familiar yet generally taken-for-granted element of archaeological theory. Typically, it is viewed as a kind of “proof of concept,” an essential way to demonstrate the value of a particular theoretical approach, if not theory in general. In this article, we examine the case study as it has been used in archaeology, exploring its different manifestations and situating them within a wider discussion of the role of cases and examples within the humanities and social sciences. Offering our own “example”—a rereading of Bonnichsen's Millie's Camp experiment from the 1970s—we argue for a different role of the case study in relation to archaeological theory.