Knowing-in-Practice, Its Traces and Ingredients

Abstract

This chapter inquires into how two specific types of epistemic artefacts—traces and ingredients—work together and against each other in conveying understanding of past knowledge-making activities. The discussion draws from an analysis of Swedish and French archaeological investigation reports and from how they, as traces and ingredients, contribute to knowing-in-practice in multiple parallel ways as a part of archaeological practice—literally in practice. Traces and ingredients have different epistemic opportunities and limitations to act as records of the past and goads to action even if many traces can act as ingredients and vice versa albeit with certain limitations that are useful to be aware of. Being aware of how an epistemic artefact works in an epistemic sense—for example as a trace or an ingredient—can help to use them accordingly to what they are capable of, to avoid uses that go against their potential, and to develop better ones.