The Eighties in America - Salem Press (2009)

bean Sea for remains of Spanish ships from the Age
of Discovery, in anticipation of the upcoming Chris-
topher Columbus Quincentennial. Sunken ships in
U.S. territorial waters fell under admiralty salvage
laws, which were more concerned with the owner-
ship of specific valuables than with the preservation
of history. Already in 1978, tensions had surfaced be-
tween sport divers and marine archaeologists when a
diver located a wreck in a protected natural area on
the coast of Florida and filed a claim to it under ad-
miralty law. Believing he had found a treasure ship,
he began dynamiting, destroying the ship’s midsec-
tion before environmentalists obtained an injunc-
tion under the National Park Service Act of 1916.
The wreck, a British warship sunk in 1742, contained
no gold but much of historical interest.

Impact Archaeology can change one’s perceptions
of previous cultures. The most significant develop-
ment of the 1980’s, during which American archae-
ology produced no spectacular finds, was the endow-
ment of minorities and women with more central
places in the historical record and the recognition
of the complexity of their lives. Increasing refine-
ment in dating, the thorough analysis implicit in a
processual approach, and close investigation of a
much broader range of sites would eventually lead to
rethinking the canonical picture of human settle-
ment in the Americas prior to the arrival of Europe-
ans. That process, which had just begun at the end of
the 1980’s, still continues.

Further Reading
Archaeology42, no. 1 (January/February, 1989). Spe-
cial issue, “Archaeology in the Twenty-First Cen-
tury,” comprising articles that describe trends
that seemed likely to shape twenty-first century ar-
chaeology at the end of the 1980’s; good coverage
of development and looting issues.
Meltzer, David T., Don D. Fowler, and Jeremy Sab-
loff, eds.American Archaeology: Past and Future.
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press,

1986. A collection of papers on the state of the
      profession in mid-decade. Describes the transi-
      tion from cultural to processual archaeology.
      Scott, Elizabeth M.Those of Little Note: Gender, Race,
      and Class in Historical Archaeology.Tucson: Univer-
      sity of Arizona Press, 1994. Includes an overview
      of the place of marginalized peoples in archaeo-
      logical theory and practice, as well as descriptions
      of a dozen specific archaeological projects.

Showronek, Russell K. “Sport Divers and Archaeol-

ogy: The Case of the Legare Anchorage Ship

Site.”Archaeology38, no. 3 (1985): 23-27. A good

discussion of issues in underwater archaeology.

Martha A. Sherwood

See also African Americans; Native Americans.

Architecture

Definition The design and building of structures,

especially habitable ones

In the 1980’s, a reaction toward the previously dominant

architectural style of modernism had set in. In its place, late

modernism, deconstructivism, and postmodernism became

more common, seeking to counteract modernism’s cold, ster-

ile structures, minimalist facades, and rejection of histori-

cal reference.

American architectural practices changed in the

1980’s as a result of several converging cultural de-

velopments, including the ascendance of computer

technology, increased public awareness of architec-

ture as such and of environmental issues generally,

continued growth of the suburbs, and a prosperous,

consumer-oriented economy. These developments

both influenced and amplified the evolution of ar-

chitectural and art history, contributing to and shap-

ing the meaning of modernist architecture’s fall

from dominance.

Styles Late modernism is a somewhat ambiguous

term for an architectural style common from the

end of modernism’s preeminence to the flowering

of postmodernism. It is sometimes referred to as

High Modernism, heroic modernism, or late expres-

sionism. It stressed the use of high technology in de-

sign and materials, continuing the use of sheet metal

and glass structures. However, late modernists used

more complex, shaped masses and nonlinear forms

to give their buildings more visual appeal.

Deconstructivism also enjoyed some popularity

in the 1980’s but was more admired by architects

than by most of the public. Reflecting the chaos

that many saw in society, deconstructivism offered

strange, skewed designs with the intent of altering

perception, favored fragmentation and unusual

forms, and sometimes relied on commonplace ma-

terials such as chain-link fencing and bright plastic.

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Architecture The Eighties in America