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Industrial archaeology studies and preserves industrial relics to trace the evolution of industrial processes and their relation to society. Industrial archaeologists focus on pre and post-industrial revolution periods and find employment in academia. Accurate information is abundant for post-industrial revolution research, but speculation may be necessary for pre-industrial revolution findings. Publishing archaeological discoveries is important for career advancement.
Archeology is a field of science based primarily on the examination of human history and society through recovered artifacts – thus industrial archeology is a subfield concerned with the study and preservation of industrial relics. An industrial archaeologist searches for, analyzes and preserves the remains of former industrial structures and sites. This endeavor can have many purposes, from tracing the evolution of various industrial processes to determining how certain industrial structures relate to the society in which they were found. Simply finding artifacts is only a small part of the industrial archaeologist’s job – trying to socially and historically contextualize discoveries is also highly important. While an industrial archaeologist might focus on pre-industrial revolution concerns, most tend to focus on the years since the 18th century, because widespread industrialization did not occur until that time.
Some industrial archaeologists focus on the evolution of primitive industrial methods that have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Metalworking, stoneworking and mining, for example, have been practiced in one form or another since long before the industrial revolution. In many cases, however, an industrial archaeologist will choose to focus his studies on the periods following the industrial revolution, when widespread organized industry became a fundamental aspect of many societies. While this level of industrialization is a relatively recent development in human history, the constant development of new methods and technologies has led to the existence of many unused industrial relics for the industrial archaeologist to study and preserve.
In terms of employment, an industrial archaeologist is most likely to find work in academia. In many places, archeology is considered a subfield of anthropology; therefore, archaeologists often find employment in anthropology departments. In an academic setting, an industrial archaeologist will likely split his time between teaching, fieldwork, and research. Field work usually involves surveying and excavating past industrial sites and, if possible, recovering some artifacts. From this point on, it is necessary to use all available resources to carry out research that aims to give social and historical context and meaning to the discoveries.
Industrial archeology research, at least as practiced by those who focus on the industrial revolution and beyond, is generally facilitated by the abundance of accurate information that has existed about the industry since then. In other cases, however, it may be difficult to find reliable information and it may be necessary to speculate about the different possibilities for the meaning of a given finding. Publishing archaeological discoveries is an important way for an industrial archaeologist to advance his career. Having a substantial body of reputable research is a good way to advance to a better academic position or employment at a better institution.
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