Binford, Lewis

Grew up in the countryside on the Atlantic coast of Virginia. His family earned carpentry, and he himself was engaged in business in this area for some time. He became interested in anthropology when he worked as a translator in parts of the US Army stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa .

He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. (1964) from the University of Michigan . ^[3]

For 23 years, Binford served as a professor at the University of New Mexico , after which in 1991 he entered the faculty of Southern Methodist University . A 1999 article in the November-December issue of Scientific American magazine described Binford as "probably the most influential archaeologist of his generation." ^[6]

In 2000, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Leiden for his role in developing scientific methods in archeology.

Mostly known for his contribution to archaeological theory and the advancement of research on the border of archeology and ethnography. He put forward a number of ideas, on the basis of which in the 1960s. procedural archeology was formed. Binford and his supporters argued that in archeology it is necessary to shift the emphasis to the use of strictly scientific methods and the hypothetical-deductive method. Binford paid great attention to the generalizations and ways in which people interact with their ecological niche, thus defining culture as an extrasomatic means of adaptation. This view reflects the ideas of the supervisor of his doctoral dissertation, Leslie White. Binford's work was largely a reaction to the approach of the school of cultural-historical archeology , preceding the emergence of procedural archeology. For a long time, the movement "New Archeology" was considered as a revolution in archaeological thought, but since the beginning of the 21st century. it is increasingly seen as the result of a relatively gradual shift in priorities in archeology, thanks to the increased attention to Walter Taylor ’s previously forgotten A Study of Archeology , whom Lewis himself considered authority.

Binford participated in a number of discussions that were widely publicized ^[7] . In particular, he argued with James Sackett about the nature and purpose of style, with Ian Hodder about symbolism and methodology. He discussed with a number of historical schools - in particular, post-procedural archeology , behaviorists , symbolic and post-modern anthropology. His friendly discussion with the French anthropologist and science fiction writer Francois Bord is also known for the interpretation of the Mousterian monuments, which formed the basis of a number of his theoretical publications. Bord interpreted the differences of the Mousterian implements as evidence of the presence of various tribes, while Binford interpreted the functional differences between these implements.

Binford's latest book, Constructing Frames of Reference (2001), was edited by Nancy Stone.

For many years, Lewis Binford was married to Sally Binford, who herself was a famous anthropologist and archaeologist. Sally played a significant role in his professional growth. In particular, she participated in the writing of several of his books, including his most important anthology, New Perspectives In Archeology . As Sally herself recalled,

He was an exceptionally gifted person, but could not write one coherent sentence - that is, with the subject and the predicate. What he wrote was impossible to say aloud. My job in marriage was to translate into English what Lew wrote ... I usually tried to get him away from overly speculative views and help him find data to justify his more reasonable views, and then helped to put these views in clear English ^[8] .

Sally Binford played an important role in the American feminist movement. She promoted sexual emancipation and herself was his example, since she was openly bisexual. Shortly before the 70th birthday, Sally Binford, then divorced from Lewis Binford, committed suicide by telling her friends in letters that she wants to stay 69 years old forever ^[9] .

• Constructing frames of reference: an analytical method for archaeological theory building using hunter-gatherer and environmental data sets Berkeley: University of California Press, (2001) ISBN 0520223934
• Debating Archeology San Diego: Academic Press, (1989) ISBN 0121000451
• Faunal Remains from Klasies River Mouth (1984) ISBN 0-12-100070-2
• In Pursuit of the Past: Decoding the Archaeological Record (1983) ISBN 0-520-23339-5
• Bones, Ancient Men and Modern Myths (1981) ISBN 0-12-100035-4
• Nunamiut Ethnoarchaeology (1978) ISBN 0-12-100040-0
• An archaeological perspective New York: Seminar Press, (1972) ISBN 0128077506
• New Perspectives in Archeology (1968) ISBN 0-202-33022-2
• Archeology as Anthropology (1963)

• Lewis Binford (unreachable link from 09/06/2013 [2168 days] - history , copy ) - Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University
• L. Klein . The departure of the patriarch // " Trinity option ." - 2011. - No. 77, p. 14.