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2021
No. (14), Ethnoarchaeology 2020
No. Nr (13), Oral History - Emotions 2019
No. (12), Public History 2018
No. (11), Cultural History of Knowledge 2017
No. (10), Anthropology – Folklore – History 2016
No. (9), Cultural Heritage 2015
No. (8), Anthropology and History 2014
No. 1 (6), Semiotics of History No. 2 (7), History and Gender 2013
No. 1 (4), On Representation No. 2 (5), Genealogies of Culture 2012
No. 2 (3), Readings of the Past No. 1 (2), Anthropology / history of the Contemporary World 2011
No. 1-2 (1), Preliminaries
ISSN 2084–1418
The paper edition of the Anthropology of History Yearbook is the definitive version

2021, No. (14), Ethnoarchaeology

Andrzej P. Kowalski
Ethnology and historical anthropology of Andrzej Z. Bokiniec

Keywords: Andrzej Z. Bokiniec, ethnoarchaeology, historical anthropology, systemic concept of cultre, ethnographic analogy in archaeology.

Abstract:
Anthropology and historical ethnology of Andrzej Z. Bokiniec. The prematurely deceased archaeologist from Toruń, Andrzej Z. Bokiniec, developed his own concept of ethnology. He treated it as a scientific discipline, applying explanatory procedures and constructing models for the reconstruction of prehistoric cultures. He highly appreciated diffusionist schemes, advocating for research on cultural contacts resulting from assimilation, acculturation, and the crossing of various traditions. He also employed methods of ethnoarchaeology, acknowledging the achievements of pre-war Polish ethnology, which represented a strong historical orientation. In ethnological studies, he applied the principles of systems theory, perceiving culture as a complex system in which a key element usually operates actively. Detecting such a factor allows for reconstructing the system's infrastructure and diagnosing the consequences of cultural transformations. An example is the use of horses in North America and prehistoric Europe, which led to changes in transportation, communication, warfare, religion, and mythology. A similar key element is the figure of the bronze age blacksmith. The mystery of the profession of these craftsmen and the attractiveness of metal objects caused specific infrastructural effects in the system. Classical ethnology, providing information about tribal communities, is still useful. It can be employed, along with anthropology of antiquity, as an analogy for interpreting pivotal moments in the cultures of prehistoric Europe. Despite a modest publication record, Andrzej Z. Bokiniec played a significant role (as a participant in scientific congresses, especially as an educator of ethnology and archaeology enthusiasts) in the dissemination of integral and interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of prehistory.

About Author:
ANDRZEJ PIOTR KOWALSKI – philosopher, cultural anthropologist, professor at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of Gdańsk. E-mail: andrzej.kowalski@ug.edu.pl. ORCID: 0000-0003-2009-2689.

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