oa De wetenschappelijke emancipatie van archeologisch onderzoek naar de Tweede Wereldoorlog en het belang van maatschappelijk engagement

The scientific emancipation of World War II-related archaeology and the importance ofsocietal commitment: a response to Ivar Schute

In his response to Ivar Schute’s paper on Second World War-related archaeology in the Netherlands, Martijn Eickhoff criticizes Schute’s predominantly positivist approach that focuses exclusively on material traces of ‘what actually happened’. In addition Eickhoff stresses the importance of developing an interdisciplinary approach among archaeologists and historians prior to the start of excavation projects. Only through this combined effort can archaeological excavations contribute to our understanding of the way societies and communities through time deal with (and try to make sense of) experiences related to war and mass violence.