Lewis R. Binford Papers
place: label: Place
content: Combe Grenal
label: Place
content: Alaska -- Archaeology
label: Place
content: Fort Michilimackinac (Straits of Mackinac, Michigan) -- Archeology
topic: label: Topic
content: Archaeology
label: Topic
content: Ethnoarchaeology
label: Topic
content: Early man -- Neanderthal
label: Topic
content: Archaeology -- China
culture: label: Culture
content: Nunamiut Inupiaq [Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska]
label: Culture
content: Aboriginal Australians
setName: label: See more items in
content: Lewis R. Binford Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: Lewis Binford is considered an influential American anthropologist of the 20th century who began a new era of archaeology, Processualism. Binford was mainly interested in hunter-gatherer group organization and dynamics, which brought him to many different fieldwork sites throughout his career. He was also interested in theory and methodology in archaeology, which is seen through his scientific and ethnoarchaeological approach to research. This collection includes materials related to Binford's teaching work across multiple universities, his fieldwork, particularly with the Nunamiut communities of Alaska, and his work on many published and unpublished academic projects.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Lewis Roberts Binford is considered one of the most influential American anthropologists of the 20th century. Known as a "large and powerful presence", Binford was a confident and high-spirited academic and a "formidable debater" (Meltzer 2011, 22). The developer of "New Archaeology", now known as Processual archaeology, Binford's contributions to the field made pervasive and lasting impacts in archaeological methodology and theory.

An only child, Binford was born on November 21, 1931, in Norfolk, Virginia. After graduating high school in 1948, Binford studied biology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute until enlisting in the Army in 1952 with the goal of gaining financial support for his education after his service (Meltzer 2011, 5). Sent to serve in Okinawa, Japan, Binford worked with the Ryukyuan peoples as a translator for American social scientists. It is here that Binford first gained an interest in  anthropology (Wilford 2011). After his discharge in 1954, Binford transitioned away from biology and enrolled at the University of North Carolina for a degree in anthropology, for which he earned his B.A. in 1957. Binford began his teaching career at the University of Michigan (U-M), where he earned his Master's in 1958 before being hired at the University of Chicago in 1961. In his first graduate course he pronounced, "my name is Lewis R. Binford, and the name of this course is revelations!" (Meltzer 2011, 7). Later, in 1964, Binford earned his PhD from U-M. 

It was at the University of Chicago that Binford published his article, "Archaeology as Anthropology", making waves in the field (Binford 1962). Binford felt that the prevailing framework utilized in archaeology, culture history, did not rise above simple artfact description and could not grapple with larger cultural and environmental questions (Meltzer 2011, 3). He pushed for an approach more deeply rooted in science and for archaeology to "directly test hypotheses concerning the process of evolutionary change" (Binford 1962, 224). 

After the University of Chicago, Binford and his then wife and colleague  (Binford was married six times), Sally Binford, taught students at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, before Binford joined the faculty at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1968. His early days there were spent investigating hunter-gatherer groups through Mousterian stone tools and faunal remains from the site of Combe Grenal in France, spurred by an academic disagreement with colleague Francois Bordes over observed variation in assemblages (Meltzer 2011, 11). Binford also emphasized the importance of ethnographic work in conjunction with archaeology, and began his own ethnoarchaeological study with Nunamiut communities in Alaska in 1969. He was interested in this group for their modern hunter-gatherer practices hunting caribou in the arctic and hoped to gain insight into the archaeological record of similar groups (Meltzer 2011, 12). During this time Binford also published his book, An Archaeological Perspective, an anthology of his "New Archaeology" papers (Binford 1972). Later, Binford published his Nunamiut research in his second anthology, Working at Archaeology, and then his third, Debating Archaeology, which debated disputes of his applied archaeological approaches (Binford 1983; 1989). Binford stayed at UNM for 23 years and became the Leslie Spier Distinguished Chair of Anthropology before retiring in 1991 and joining the faculty at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. 

Following his move to SMU, Binford began teaching less and devoted more time to his last major book, Constructing Frames of Reference (Binford 2001). Here he aimed to gain insight into identifying and understanding hunter-gatherer global patterns and variations in organization, demographics, adaptation, site structure, and mobility. Additionally, Binford included methodological contributions showcasing the use of ethnographic data in archaeology (Meltzer 2011, 20). He became a SMU Distinguished Professor of Anthropology before retiring from SMU in 2003. Binford earned many awards and honors throughout his career, such as a lifetime achievement award from the Society of American Archaeology and the Huxley Memorial Medal from the Royal Anthropological Institute of Britain. 

After retiring, Binford moved to Kirksville, Missouri, with his wife and colleague, Amber Johnson, where he continued to write and occasionally teach (Meltzer 2011, 22). Lewis Binford passed away from heart failure at the age of 79 on April 11, 2011.


Sources:

1962. "Archaeology as Anthropology" American Antiquity Volume 28, No. 2, (1962): 217-225. 

1972. An Archaeological Perspective. New York: Seminar Press, 1972. 

1983. Working at Archaeology. San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1983.

1989. Debating Archaeology. San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1989. 

2001. Constructing Frames of Reference: An Analytical Method for Archaeological Theory Building Using Ethnographic and Environmental Data Sets. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. 

Meltzer, David J. Lewis Roberts Binford: A Biographical Memoir. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 2011. 

Wilford, John Noble. "Lewis Binford, Innovative Archaeologist, Dies at 79." The New York Times, April 22, 2011.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 80 Linear feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1875-2011
label: Date
content: bulk circa 1965-2011
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.2022-18
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged into 13 series: 1) Correspondence, 1956-2011, undated; 2) Early career, 1902-1988, undated; 3) Field notebooks, 1969-2001, undated; 4) Research: fieldwork and data, 1903-2008, undated; 5) Photographs, 1934-2008, undated; 6) Miscellaneous research materials, 1875-2011, undated; 7) Papers and publications, 1902-2009, undated; 8) Book manuscripts, 1962-2010, undated; 9) Teaching materials, 1967-2002, undated; 10) Professional and business materials, 1926-2010, undated; 11) Multimedia, 1926-2010, undated; 12) Personal papers, 1933-2011, undated; and 13) Site maps and figures, 1912-2001, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Materials in the papers of Lewis Binford were mostly processed and organized prior to being received by the NAA. The collection had been rehoused in acid free folders and boxes. Upon arrival to the NAA, some unprocessed material was added and the archivist integrated this material into the collection. The organization and order of the Lewis Binford papers were also changed by the NAA archivist, but series titles and contents were mostly kept the same. Reprint and duplicate material without annotations was removed from the collection except for those located in Binford's self proclaimed series of "the most important archaeological papers". Titles are presumed original except for bracketed titles which were created by the archivist. Some titles have been expanded for clarity in the finding aid. 

During the processing of the Photograph series there were many notes found including related file names and scanning results that suggest digitization of the photograhs was completed at some point prior to their arrival at the NAA. Some of this photographic material previously digitized was found on CDs included in the collection and was transferred to the NAA's digital files. 


Processed by Nathaniel Ball at Truman State University and by Lea Sellon at the National Anthropological Archives in August 2024.
bibliography: label: Selected Bibliography
content: 1962. "Archaeology as Anthropology"  -- American Antiquity -- . Volume 28, No. 2, (1962): 217-225. 

1968.  -- New Perspectives in Archaeology -- . Chicago, Illinois: Aldine Publishing Company, 1968. 

1972.  -- An Archaeological Perspective -- . New York: Seminar Press, 1972. 

1978.  -- Nunamiut Ethnoarchaeology -- . San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1978. 

1981.  -- Bones: Ancient Men and Modern Myths -- . San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1981.

1983.  -- In Pursuit of the Past: Decoding the Archaeological Record -- . Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1983. 

1983.  -- Working at Archaeology -- . San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1983.

1984.  -- Faunal Remains from Classes River Mouth -- . San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1984.

1989.  -- Debating Archaeology -- . San Diego, California: Academic Press, 1989. 

2001.  -- Constructing Frames of Reference: An Analytical Method for Archaeological Theory Building Using Ethnographic and Environmental Data Sets -- . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Papers of Lewis Binford include field notes, maps, computer analyses, raw and processed data, article drafts, book manuscripts, research articles, letters, administrative materials, postcards and greeting cards, lectures, student papers and theses, teaching material, awards and certificates, email correspondence, autobiographical material, audio recordings, video recordings, photographs, slides, and negatives. These materials primarily relate to Binford's fieldwork research, publications, and his teaching roles at the University of Michigan (U-M), the University of Chicago, the University of New Mexico (UNM), and Southern Methodist University (SMU). 

This collection contains a vast amount of both raw and processed data that Binford had collected throughout his career. Additionally, of particular interest are his field notebooks which detail data findings, ethnographic work, and Binford's daily life during his fieldwork in various places. Of his research locations, Binford's work with Nunamiut communities in Alaska is the most well documented through his field notes, correspondence, and photographs. This collection also contains in memoriam material which consist of get well cards, obituaries, and sympathy letters sent to Binford's wife, Amber L. Johnson after his passing in 2011.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.