By Dean Arnold
Summarizing Charlie Kolb’s contributions to archaeological science is no easy task. For one thing, his massive CV of 170 pages is daunting. Nevertheless, some of these contributions can be cogently described by the number of monographs (N = 6), articles and book chapters published (N = 163), and the number of books on ceramics reviewed (N = 350). These are only a small portion of his academic accomplishments, but as impressive as they are, Charlie’s pivotal role in ceramic studies goes far beyond the metrics of his CV.
Charlie has provided critical leadership for the dissemination of knowledge about ceramics and ceramic production. When the well-known scholar of ceramics, Frederick R. Matson, retired from Penn State in the early 1980s, Charlie and Louana Lackey wanted to honor him. Matson had coined the term ‘ceramic ecology’ in a book published in 1965, and he wanted to refocus ceramics towards their relationship to culture and the environment, and away from the objects themselves and their fragments. So, to honor Matson and build on his conceptual legacy, Charlie and Louana organized a symposium for the 1986 American Anthropological Association meetings in Philadelphia. Called simply ‘ceramic ecology’, this symposium sought to provide a venue for those anthropologists who study ceramics to share their research among like-minded colleagues.
The ceramic ecology symposia are now a consistent feature of AAA meetings, and Charlie has organized, co-chaired, and chaired them faithfully for more than two-and-one half decades with precision, intensity, and commitment, fostering communication among those anthropologists and archaeologists who, often isolated from others like them, study ceramics and ceramic production. As a by-product of these symposia, Charlie assembled a massive list of international scholars who have participated, or could participate, in these sessions. Each year all of those on the list are invited to contribute to the upcoming AAA ceramic ecology session. As a consequence, the ceramic ecology sessions became a vehicle for building and maintaining the most significant long-term network of scholars of ceramic studies known.
Charlie developed a systematic strategy for adding new scholars to the ‘ceramic ecology’ list derived from his own background and from his knowledge of the latest developments in the field. He did research in the Valley of Mexico, North America, Africa, and Afghanistan, and drew upon networks of practitioners that he knew who had worked in those areas. Another layer of scholars for the list came from his relationship with colleagues and former students during his 24 years of teaching at Penn State’s University Park and Erie campuses, at Bryn Mawr, and at Mercyhurst College.
Charlie’s contribution to ceramic studies thus encompasses an extensive knowledge of research in the field. He has a unique ability to synthesize a vast amount of information, and remember individual contributions. He belongs (or has belonged) to every scientific organization imaginable that involves archaeological science and ceramics, and he reads their journals. He regularly distilled papers from national meetings into columns in newsletters. An incredible bibliographic mind, Charlie’s memory for sites, scholars, and bibliographic sources outshines most of us and serves him well as a writer of encyclopedia articles (N = 64). Further, Charlie’s massive number of print reviews of books in scholarly journals, and in other print and electronic media have kept him in touch with the latest research in the field.
Charlie’s anonymous peer reviews of journal articles, scholarly books, and NSF grants further exposed him to cutting-edge research in the field. The forty promotion and tenure reviews that he did for colleagues reveal his peers’ deep respect for his knowledge, objectivity and fairness.
Charlie’s reviewing skill as a pre-publication peer reviewer is second to none. Charlie’s distinctive reviewing style is marked by scholarly care, bibliographic richness, thoroughness, analytical skill, objectivity, helpfulness, and an eye for detail---characteristics that I have seen personally in his anonymous unsigned reviews of my own books and articles. He does more of this kind of ‘anonymous reviewing’ than many of us are aware, and he often works behind the scenes, making him one of the most implicitly powerful and influential scholars in ceramic studies.
His work during the 23 years as a program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities provided even more personal relationships and networks. He reviewed over 5850 proposals while there, knew the research of those who applied for grants in ceramic studies, put them on the ceramic ecology list, and in so doing encouraged them to present a paper or be a discussant in the ceramic ecology symposium. For younger scholars, this opportunity was critical for making older colleagues aware of research by newer ones, and in the process, provide socialization into a ready-made network of professionals with similar interests.
In summary, Charlie’s seemingly limitless energy in reviewing, his participation in networks with other scholars studying ceramics, and his co-founding and cultivating the ceramic ecology symposium has produced critical and unprecedented contributions to knowledge about ceramics, and its role in anthropology and archaeology. His work has provided a self-less gift to the community of scholars that study ceramics. There may be those who others identify as more powerful and influential in ceramic studies, but from the point of view of the sociology of knowledge, Charlie Kolb was the critical node in the ongoing network that brought scholars of ceramics together for more than a quarter of a century.
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