Research Paper
Indian Archaeology and Postmodernism: Fashion or Necessity?
Authors: Ajay Pratap
Year: 2014, Volume: 5, Page/Article: 1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aa.12318
Abstract
This paper begins by considering the origins and trajectory of growth of Indian Archaeology, from an Antiquarian stage, through to its present state, which may best be described, positioned between cultural historical, Positivist and Post-positivist approaches. The school of archaeological thought informed by Positivist Philosophy has been called variously as the New Archaeology, Hypothetico-Deductive Archaeology, and more lately as Processual Archaeology (Paddayya, 1990). The school of Indian Archaeology influenced by the Philosophy of Post-positivism or Postmodernism are called variously as the New New Archaeology and Postprocessual Archaeology. This paper traces the growth of Indian Archaeology through its various stages such as Antiquarianism, Indology, Colonial Archaeology, Modern Archaeology, the New Archaeology and now the Postprocessual Archaeology. It seeks to estimate chiefly the impact of the Postprocessual applications in Indian Archaeology.