Series 1 - Conference Papers/Publications

3.3 m of textual records and other materials.

This series documents Trigger’s scholarly contributions, in the form of conference papers, publications, reviews, and editorial work for peer-reviewed publications, mainly from his years at McGill University’s Department of Anthropology, 1963-2006. Professional correspondence is also found within these files, which are arranged by date of conference or publication date. These files demonstrate Trigger’s prolific publication output, his correspondence with an extensive network of colleagues in the international
research community, as well as the diversity of his research interests, ranging from indigenous cultures to ancient civilizations.

Files relating to conferences and symposia, as well as reviews, articles, and books provide insight into Trigger’s approaches to organizing his research, some of the major contributions he made to the field, as well as his role as a much sought after lecturer. Record types include correspondence, conference proceedings, manuscripts, articles, reprints, editorial guidelines, drafts, and lecture notes, 1949-2006 (Container 1, Files 1- 43; 44-134; Container 3, Files 135-206; Container 4, Files 209-278; Container 6, Files
290-296; 298-308; 311-312, 316, 320, 335-336; Container 7, Files 337-349, 351-361, 363-404; Container 8, Files 420, 422-424; Container 9, Files 430-484; Container 11, Files 524-537; Container 12, Files 561-564; Container 14, Files 573-578, 580, 586-588, 599; Container 15, Files 602-604, 619-620; Container 16, Files 641-642, 645-646; Container 17, Files 647-659, 661, 664-674, 676-723). These files document Trigger’s passion for archaeology, his efforts to stay current in terms of the literature in the field, and his respected position in the international arena. For example, Trigger was the editor of Volume I of the prestigious Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Artwork for this volume, as well as book reviews, reveal Trigger’s level of involvement with the project, 2003 (Container 14, File 598). Conferences of note include the Seagram Lectures I and II at the University of Toronto (1986) where Trigger delivered a paper entitled “The Historian’s Indian: Native Americans in Canadian Historical Writing from Charlevoix to the Present”, 1989-1997, 1985-1986 (Container 1, Files 41, 42), and the Fourth Gordon Childe Memorial Lecture at the Institute of Archaeology, the University of London (1982). Trigger’s lecture, entitled “If Childe were Alive Today”, 1981-1983 (Container 3, File 175) is a fine example of his long standing research interest in V. Gordon Childe and Childe’s contributions to archaeological theory and his relationship to Soviet/ Marxist archaeology, 1977-1986 (Container 3, Files 142-143, 174-175.

Materials relating to Trigger’s books include drafts of published and unpublished manuscripts, research notes, reviews, and correspondence with colleagues and publishers, as well as translations of these works into numerous languages, 1990-2004 (Container 1, Files 19, 20; Container 3, File 192; Container 6, Files 294, 311; Container 15, File 621-622; Container 7, File 372; Container 9, Files 482-483). Records pertaining to Trigger’s seminal texts contain complete drafts, manuscript notes, correspondence, and publication information. For example, The Children of Aataentsic, 1975-2002 (Container 2, Files 95-96; Container 3, File 196; Container 7, File 342 ; Container 9, File 434, Container 14, File 579; Container 17, File 662, 663, 675, 710, 718 ); Understanding Early Civilizations, 1995-2005 (Container 6, File 295; Container 11, Files 525-537; 6 Container 15, File 618), and A History of Archaeological Thought, 1989-2004 (Container 6, File 301; Container 7, File 340, 371; Container 9, File 460) are comprehensive in this regard. In particular, A History of Archaeological Thought, which also includes notes for the revised edition, 1991-2002 (Container 11, Files 524), as well as correspondence with Cambridge University Press regarding the index for the book, demonstrate the writing, editorial, and publication processes from the perspective of an academic in a comprehensive manner, 1989-2004 (Container 15, Files 614-1-617, 623-626).

A comprehensive list of Trigger’s publications is available in the accession file.