Book contents
- Death and the Body in Bronze Age Europe
- Death and the Body in Bronze Age Europe
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- One Introduction
- Two A Brief History of Urns, Urnfields, and Burial in the Urnfield Culture
- Three Theoretical Framework
- Four The Bronze Age
- Five The Changing Bronze Age Body
- Six The Treatment of the Body
- Seven The Construction of Graves
- Eight After the Burial
- Nine Conclusions
- References
- Index
Three - Theoretical Framework
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 December 2022
- Death and the Body in Bronze Age Europe
- Death and the Body in Bronze Age Europe
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- One Introduction
- Two A Brief History of Urns, Urnfields, and Burial in the Urnfield Culture
- Three Theoretical Framework
- Four The Bronze Age
- Five The Changing Bronze Age Body
- Six The Treatment of the Body
- Seven The Construction of Graves
- Eight After the Burial
- Nine Conclusions
- References
- Index
Summary
In this chapter, we return to some of the theoretical issues briefly introduced in Chapter 1. Our primary aim is to explain the core theoretical premises that underwrite our analyses and to provide some reflection on the approach we shall unfold. Secondarily, we clarify our position regarding research on the body. We do not aim to use any specific theoretical school to provide directives for the research; we would find that counterproductive. We think of theory as thinking tools, as arguments and reflections that can help us to sharpen our attention, create new sensibilities, and encourage curiosity, but not as a means of dictating the direction of research or its outcome. Theory should be liberating and challenging, not censorious. We reject the notion that one has to follow a particular theoretical school and the attitude that there is a correct and faithful way of understanding theoretical arguments (see also Pétursdóttir and Olsen 2017). The relevance of theories, we believe, is tested by how they help insights and arguments to move forward; the selection of theoretical apparatus should be guided by needs arising from the interpretative engagement.
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- Information
- Death and the Body in Bronze Age EuropeFrom Inhumation to Cremation, pp. 36 - 53Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023