This original anthropological study explores a type of “obedient” autonomy that thrives on setbacks, blossoms as more rules are imposed, and flourishes in adversity and, in conjuction, examines the specialized and highly organized discipline of archaeology in China. It follows Chinese students on their journey to becoming full-fledged archaeologists in a bureaucracy-saturated environment. A masterly contextualization of archaeology in China, Obedient Autonomy shows how the discipline has accommodated itself to a Chinese social structure, and uncovers the moral, ethical, political, and economic underpinnings of that context.