Stephen Chrisomalis. 2006. Comparative archaeology: an unheralded cross-cultural method. In Bruce G. Trigger: Theoretical Empiricist, Ronald Williamson and Michael Bisson, eds., pp. 36-51. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Bruce Trigger's research has focused for several decades on the comparative use of archaeological data to draw generalizations about early civilizations. While this research is not normally considered as part of cross-cultural anthropology, Trigger's work suggests that a rapprochement is long overdue. Augmenting synchronic cross-cultural studies with diachronic archaeological data benefits both subfields of study. In particular, Trigger's decades-long interest in sociocultural evolution demonstrates the value of studying cultural change alongside cultural function.
Stephen Chrisomalis, Ph.D.
Copyright 2006