How can we understand researchers' perceptions of key research developments? A case study focusing on the adoption of agriculture in Ireland

Abstract

Understanding how researchers perceive key research developments in their fields is not straightforward. This paper reports on a project focusing on perceptions of key developments in the adoption of agriculture (Mesolithic-Neolithic transition) in Ireland. The project involved over sixty interviews with active researchers, generating qualitative data that provide an overview of these perceptions. Despite much diversity, several areas emerge as having been particularly important, including methodologies and wider developments in archaeological practice. Variation between Ireland and other areas of north-west Europe is suggested by some aspects of the data.