Thoughts on the Discipline Attribution of Industrial Archaeology

Abstract

Industrial archaeology started developing in China in the 1950s. It is a subject of research and protection of industrial heritage, and has become an important discipline in China.By reviewing the rise of the industrial archeology, It is presented that, due to differences between industrial heritage and antiques, the research methods, findings, focuses and the core values of industrial archeology are very different from those of traditional archeology. The author argues that to classify industrial archaeology as a sub-discipline of archaeology remains to be considered. With the developments and improvements of industrial archaeology, its scope as a discipline will gradually become clear. Moreover, interdisciplinary research is helpful for the development and improvement of industrial archaeology.