Indexicality

This draws from Gardin's (1989:15-16) logicist approach, which considers descriptive propositions as constituting the evidential basis for derived interpretive propositions, as linked together through a series of intermediate propositions via argumentation. The articulation (e.g. jointed, hinged in nature) of mediating objects and activities may be drawn out as long chains, which may be used to infer propositions about connected mediating objects and notions that they represent.

For example: Soil samples are the mediating objects that flow into the activity of flotation, which produces different sets of mediating objects including botanical samples and heavy residue. Botanical samples may then be processed by an activity that entails identifying and sorting the materials, and carbonized remains might be produced as a derived set of [objects]. In turn, these may be used as mediating objects for the purpose of radiocarbon analysis activities, which produces uncalibrated datasets (mediating objects) that are fed into a calibration program (activity) to produce calibrated dates (mediating objects). In this sense, [objects] are entities that play a practical role in ongoing work. This contrasts with my conception of knowledge, which is more distant, abstract, borderless and fundamental (in the sense that new work has to reckon with existing knowledge).

Key readings

• Preucel (2006)
• Cole (1996)
• Gardin's (1989)