Editing Bruce Trigger (section)

===Archaeological theory===
In ''Understanding Early Civilizations: A Comparative Study'' Trigger uses an integrated theoretical approach to look at the meaning of similarities and differences in the formation of complex societies in [[ancient Egypt]] and [[Mesopotamia]], [[Shang]] of China, [[Aztec]]s and Classic [[Maya civilization|Maya]] of Mesoamerica, [[Inca civilization|Inka]] of the [[Andes]], and [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] of [[Africa]].  In 2004 a session at the [[Society for American Archaeology]] (SAA) conference was dedicated to the research of Bruce Trigger.

Trigger also made significant contributions to theory and debates on [[epistemological]] issues within [[archaeology]].  The 2003 book "Artifacts and Ideas" is a collection of previously published papers that trace the history and development of these contributions.

In particular were his arguments about how the social and political contexts of research affect archaeological interpretation.  One essay entitled "Archaeology and the Image of the American Indian" documents how archaeological interpretation reflected and legitimated [[stereotypes]] of Native American peoples and expressed the dominant [[political]] ideas and interests of Euro-American culture.  For example, prior to 1914 [[Euro-American]] stereotypes resulted in a prehistory that saw native cultures as being primitive and inherently static.  It was commonly believed that Native Americans had not undergone any significant developmental changes and that they were incapable of change.  It was believed that natives had arrived in the [[Americas]] only recently, and this "fact" explained their alleged lack of cultural development.  Some early Euro-American archaeologists explained away the contrary evidence of [[Earthworks (archaeology)|earthwork]] [[mound]]s as the creations of "more enlightened" non-native peoples who had been exterminated by Native American [[barbarian|savage]]s.  These popular beliefs, supported by the claims of early archaeologists, served to legitimate the displacement of native peoples from their homelands. [[John Wesley Powell]], who led the [[debunker|debunking]] of the [[mound builder (people)|mound builder]] myths, not coincidentally also recognized that great injustices had been perpetuated against Native American peoples.  Although Trigger recognized that Euro-American political interests tended to influence and distort interpretations of the archaeological record, he also argued that the accumulation of evidence served to correct these distortions.