Robert Chester Dunnell (December 4, 1942 – December 13, 2010) was an archaeologist known for his contribution in archaeological systematics, measurement and explanation of the archaeological record,

evolutionary archaeology There are two main approaches currently used to analyze archaeological remains from an evolutionary perspective: evolutionary archaeology and behavioral (or evolutionary) ecology. The former assumes that cultural change observed in the archaeologi ...

, and the archaeology of eastern North America. Dunnell received his PhD from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1967. He was a professor of anthropology at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

until his retirement in 1996 after which he was emeritus at the

as well as

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

. Among Dunnell's contribution to archaeology was the recognition of the role the theory of biological evolution as a means of explaining cultural phenomena. In addition, he argued that "cultural evolution" which has its roots in 19th Century social scientists such as Lewis Henry Morgan and

Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist famous for his hypothesis of social Darwinism. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest" ...

is distinct from "scientific evolution" which Darwinian in character. Cultural evolution is vitalistic and assumes a direction to the nature of change (i.e., progress). Darwinian evolution, Dunnell argues, holds that evolution is a two-step process in which variability generation is separate from mechanisms that sort that variability. While advocating "scientific evolution" as the basis for anthropological theory, Dunnell argued that the use of a strictly biological model was insufficient to explain cultural variability. He argued that a more comprehensive version of evolutionary theory is needed that considered cultural inheritance as an additional means of the transmission of variability between individuals. Overall, Dunnell advocated the use of a Darwinian model. Dunnell's approach advocates the evolutionary model to explain (cultural) variation, while exposing the pitfalls of using analogy to explain historical events.Dunnell, Robert C. 1981 Evolutionary Theory and Archaeology. In ''Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory: Selections for Students'', edited by Michael B. Schiffer, pp. 35-99. Academic Press: New York, NY. Dunnell's geographical interests included the U.S. Southeast.

Selected bibliography

* Dunnell, Robert C., 1978
Style and Function: A Fundamental Dichotomy
'' American Antiquity'', 43(2), pp. 192–202. * Dunnell, Robert C., 1980
Evolutionary Theory and Archaeology
''Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory'', 3, pp. 35–99. * Dunnell, Robert C., 1982
The Harvey Lecture Series. Science, Social Science, and Common Sense: The Agonizing Dilemma of Modern Archaeology
''Journal of Anthropological Research'', 38(1), pp. 1–25. * Dunnell, Robert C., 1986. Five Decades of American Archaeology. In D. Meltzer et al., eds. ''American Archaeology Past and Future''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 23–52, * Dunnell, Robert C., 2002. ''Systematics in Prehistory''. Caldwell, NJ: Blackburn Press. .

References

External links

Selective bibliography of Dunnell's theoretical publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunnell, Robert Yale University alumni University of Washington faculty American archaeologists 2010 deaths 1942 births History of evolutionary biology