Ethnoarchaeology & Household Organization

The digging-up and interpreting of ancient remains from civilizations past is often assumed to be the extent of an archaeologist’s work. However, archaeological methods have a wide range of uses that can include the interpretation of historical and even contemporary items. Ethnoarchaeology is the name given to an interdisciplinary approach aimed at examining modern societies, allowing us to further understand what our possessions say about ‘who we are,’ ‘how we live,’ and ‘what we value.’

In a study of trends in domestic leisure and storage among 24 contemporary middle-class Los Angeles families, Arnold and Lang (2006) utilize ethnoarchaeological methods to examine current household organization and consumption patterns. The 24 Los Angeles families were recruited through advertisement, and self-selected through volunteering. To qualify, the families had to carry a mortgage, have two parents (each working at least 30 hours per week) and at least two children living in the home. The combined income of the families in the study ranged from $59,000 to $500,000, and home size ranged from 735 to 3850 square feet. Data collection included filming each family in their daily routines over 4 days (2 week days and 2 weekend days); extensive digital photos taken of indoor and outdoor home spaces and belongings; family-narrated video home tours; and a detailed property map. Assessments were made based on the self-reported uses of home spaces, the number and types of possessions in each space, and average time spent in each space. Findings indicate that these middle-class families have a “salient home-storage crisis” due to the “buying [of] more possessions than their homes can absorb” (Arnold & Lang 2006: 23, 47). The increased consumption and buying of possessions has led to changes in use patterns of the home’s spaces, especially for garages and yards, which have become storage areas for often unused commodities. Although not overtly stated in article, Arnold and Lang’s evaluation of these modern middle-class households brings to mind the common ideology of the ‘American Dream’ and the overinflated expectations – that all Americans are entitled to live ‘the good life’ – and rationale for careless consumption it creates.

Ultimately, Arnold and Lang’s (2006) ethnoarchaological assessment provides important insight into how patterns of increased consumption in recent history can impact the use of residential space. However, it could be argued that their assessment of domestic architecture verges on functionalism – portraying the residential structure as merely a storage container, while ignoring other factors including the social and symbolic production of space. Also more studies including lower-income, renter, single-parent families, or those conducted in areas other than just Los Angeles, would be useful to shed more light on the consumption and the organization of space within and around the household.

As witnessed in the Arnold and Lang (2006) article, the archaeological examination of contemporary material culture can be an important supplement to data from historic documents and ethnographic interviews, producing a continuity between past and present and creating a more meaningful and robust picture of contemporary reality. Also, archaeological research on contemporary society could prove to be more relatable to a broader audience than that of research on societies from the distant past. Increased relate-ability and accessibility of archaeological research is important to extend the field’s reach beyond the realm of academia – to potentially inform educational programs, policy interventions, and behavior change in general. If it is agreed that history exists on a continuum, and that the purpose of archaeological inquiry is to interpret material remains to cultivate a better understanding of human life, then more recent material remains should be considered just as important in our construction of reality as the buried remnants of ancient and pre-literate societies.

By: Karen Wurzburger

Arnold, J.E & Lang, U.A
2006 Changing American home life: trends in domestic leisure and storage among middle-class families. Journal of Family Economic Issues 28: 23-48.