EXARC Journal (Feb 2016)
The Value of Experience: Lessons from a Study of Reenactment
Abstract
It is no secret that in many ways experimental archaeology overlaps with what has come to be called experiential archaeology, an interpretive and humanistic approach to the past. As a result of drawing distinct lines between the two, experimental archaeology struggles with its conception of itself, and experiential archaeology is poorly studied. In hopes of moving beyond this detrimental divide, my research set out to understand experience using those who appeared to have most experience with it: reenactors.
