Ethnohistory and alcohol studies.

This chapter briefly outlines the development of ethnohistory in the United States and Canada and then examines the contributions that ethnohistorical studies have made to our understanding of heavy drinking in situations of acculturation. Three major models used by anthropologists and ethnohistorians to account for heavy drinking in such contexts are identified: (1) drinking as a response to sociocultural disorganization, (2) drinking as a response to deprivation, and (3) drinking as an expression of traditional values and activities. These models are evaluated in light of recent theoretical and methodological developments within anthropology and other social sciences. The discussion draws on ethnohistorical case studies to exemplify these developments. It is argued that ethnohistory 's ongoing interaction between field and archival research offers a unique and essential approach to the study of alcohol use.