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Digging for Dollars: American Archaeology and the New Deal. By Paul Fagette. (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1996. xxviii, 228 pp. $40.00, ISBN 0-8263-1721-9.)
In this interesting and well-written book, Paul Fagette traces the development and growth of American archaeology during the 1930s. Fagette begins by arguing that archaeology in the United States from 1880 to 1930 was a fairly parochial subject pursued by only a few, usually self-capitalized, practitioners. With the 1930s, however, came a period of rapid growth in American archaeology, as the federal government became directly involved in field research through its New Deal programs. In a clear and readable manner, Fagette explains how the interaction of archaeologists with the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped to transform the discipline into a fullblown academic field. Much of this maturation...