Archaeological theory in France and Britain

Abstract

British archaeologists have long been puzzled by the contrast between the way in which the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline are discussed and explored on the French side of the Channel. Theory might he considered one of the most significant issues in British archaeology over the last 30 years, since the work of David Clarke in the late 1960s. There has sprung up a healthy tradition of debate, of polemic and counter-polemic, inspired by a desire to understand the epistemological and methodological underpinnings of our subject. In France, by contrast, theory has been a much less prominent part of the archaeological scene. This is all the more surprising given that France is the homeland of some of the key figures who have been espoused by British post-processualists: Foucault, Derrida, Lacan, and Althusser to name hut a few. Why should this he?