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<plimb@library.uwa.edu.au>
The dearth of replies (save the excellent piece by John
Thornton) to the stimulating essays by Jan Vansina and Peter
Robertshaw on this topic lend credence to the lament about
the gulf between the two professions.
However, the recent World Archaeological Congress (WAC) in
Cape Town saw, apparently, a fruitful exchange between the
two, and may suggest possible future interactions. WAC
itself is a good topic for historical research given the
fireworks at its earlier conferences touched off by the
issue of apartheid. The holding of a joint panel by
historians and archaeologists at the 1999 WAC conference is
a good precedent and one that historians should continue to
emulate. It is easy for specialist historians or
archaeologists to decline attendance at respective
conferences on the claim that enough of their colleagues
will not be present.
Professor Alan Mayne (H-Urban) recently raised aspects of
the intersection of Archaeology and History in a seminar on
urban archaeology that I attended. Perhaps urban historians
of Africa can lead the way here, as the sifting of the
debris of buildings offers at least some common ground,
though perhaps also fertile ground for continued
disagreement?
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