The Poznan School of Archaeology: The Origin, Growth and Significance

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Poznan School of Archaeology, an original mode of archaeological thought that emerged in Poznan in the 1960s and 1970s. The book examines the significance of this original Polish archaeological thought in its broad academic context and places it in the realm of the social and intellectual framework of Europe. It is directed to the worldwide community of researchers interested in understanding the nature of the studies of the past and places this original and well-developed school of archaeological thought in its broad geographical and chronological perspective.

The Poznan School of Archaeology made explicit efforts to break off ties with the culture-history paradigm and rejected the simplified functional and rigid deductive-nomological explanations. Developed in the context of non-Marxist historical materialism, over decades it transformed itself into a distinct and multifaceted archaeological research school embedded in the tradition of cultural studies, philosophy, history, and the natural sciences. The book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate programmes in archaeology and archaeological theory.