Prof Julian Thomas - research

Julian's main research interests are concerned with the Neolithic period in Britain and north-west Europe, and with the theory and philosophy of archaeology. His major preoccupation throughout his career has been with finding ways of understanding prehistoric societies which confront the prejudices and assumptions of the contemporary west. Themes within this broader set of concerns include landscape and monumentality; the archaeology of death; the social role of material culture; the body, personhood and identity; the relationship between archaeology and anthropology; the history of archaeological thought; the contemporary political significance of archaeology; and the use of hermeneutic, phenomenological and post-structuralist philosophies in archaeology. He has recently published a study of the relationship between archaeology and modernity, which explores the connections between archaeological knowledge and the modern condition. He is presently working on a book on the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain.