Introduction: Archaeological approaches to cultural identity
20 May 2003-pp 29-60
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the phenomenon of cultural difference raises profound problems for archaeology at all levels of both theory and practice, and outline some of these problem areas, and the individual chapters examine various aspects of them from a variety of different viewpoints.
Abstract: The essence of the argument in this book is that the phenomenon of cultural
difference raises profound problems for archaeology at all levels of both theory
and practice. This introduction outlines some of these problem areas, and the
individual chapters examine various aspects of them from a variety of different
viewpoints.
Citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare radiocarbon dates for a series of European Neolithic cultures with their generally accepted ‘standard’ date ranges and with the greater precision afforded by dendrochronology, where that is available.
Abstract: Archaeologists have long sought appropriate ways to describe the duration and floruit of archaeological cultures in statistical terms. Thus far, chronological reasoning has been largely reliant on typological sequences. Using summed probability distributions, the authors here compare radiocarbon dates for a series of European Neolithic cultures with their generally accepted ‘standard’ date ranges and with the greater precision afforded by dendrochronology, where that is available. The resulting analysis gives a new and more accurate description of the duration and intensity of European Neolithic cultures.
40 citations
Book•
06 Oct 2017
TL;DR: The Homeless Heritage project as mentioned in this paper explored how the archaeological process, counter-mapping, field-walking and talking, working as a team, identifying sites and artefacts of significance and constructing narratives, can be shown to have significant therapeutic effects.
Abstract: To be defined by a lack of something – homeless – creates problematic identity challenges and fundamentally ruptures a person’s sense of ontological security. Archaeology as a contemporary material and creative practice involves working back and forth between material culture (landscapes, places and things) and intangible heritage (memories, stories and experiences). Through this work, narratives emerge which inform identities, challenge dominant stereotypes and aid a sense of belonging which enhances resilience and self-esteem among those involved. This thesis presents fieldwork conducted in the U.K. between 2008-2013 in which contemporary homeless people were engaged as colleagues (rather than participants) and facilitated to interpret the heritage of homelessness in ways and words meaningful to them. Working collaboratively with archaeology students, homeless colleagues mapped and documented landscapes and undertook two archaeological excavations of homeless sites. Two co-curated interactive public exhibitions were produced.
This thesis considers how the archaeological process – counter-mapping, field-walking and talking, working as a team, identifying sites and artefacts of significance and constructing narratives – can be shown to have significant therapeutic effects. Memory and identity work are considered in relation to psychological observations concerning the qualitative benefits of hope and its role in motivating people. Recent neuroscience work is also drawn upon. Findings suggest that neural plasticity can be affected by the social environment in health damaging or health promoting ways (McEwan 2012). Significant positive outcomes from the Homeless Heritage project include increased ‘social connectedness’, independent living and employment among those involved and suggest that collaborative archaeological work can provide positive social environments and function as low level support. It is suggested that associated health benefits offer a potentially rich avenue for further collaborative research between archaeologists interested in how the discipline might function in socially useful ways and neuroscientists keen to explore non-pharmaceutical approaches to treatment of trauma and social sustainability.
39 citations
11 Feb 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose a comparative study of Chinese state formation and local identity in the State of Qin (770-221 B.C.). But they do not consider the role of state formation in the development of local identity.
Abstract: K. C. Chang (1989) first voiced the view that the trajectory leading to the development of state in China and, as a consequence, the Chinese state itself, are fundamentally different from the accepted Western model of state formation and operation. Chang argued that while the Western trajectory is one of “rupture” – a wholesale replacement of a family-based society with new social, legal, and religious systems of the state – in China the process is characterized by continuity of familial institutions and belief systems that were incorporated into the fundamental structure of the state. Chang’s once provocative claim that China (and by extension all East Asian cultures) should serve as a source for a new theoretical model has recently become almost the paradigm among archaeologists of China (e.g. Liu Li 2000; Underhill 2002; Yates 1997). This development is in no small part a reaction against the common practice to exclude the civilizations of East Asia from discussions of state formation. While in the past research on Chinese states and complex societies did inspire the development of general models (e.g. Lattimore 1940; Wheatley 1971; Wittfogel 1957), in those early models Asiatic states were commonly used as the significant other which defined the more advanced and democratic European states (Morrison 1994:184–5). Today, while the formation of pristine states in China is recognized by most scholars, it has become common to omit China altogether from comparative studies (e.g. Feinman and Marcus 1998; see also Morrison’s discussion [1994]). It is against this background that we want to propose our study, with the hope of reintroducing China into the general comparativist discourse. We wholeheartedly embrace Chang’s and Morrison’s idea that detailed studies of the rich archaeological, epigraphic, and historic data from China can serve to 10 Secondary State Formation and the Development of Local Identity: Change and Continuity in the State of Qin (770–221 B.C.)
39 citations
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: Schrader et al. as mentioned in this paper employed a bioarchaeological perspective to explore how quotidian acts are altered during and as a consequence of sociopolitical change in Ancient Nubia, finding a distinct increase in activity (entheseal remodeling, osteoarthritis) between the New Kingdom Tombos and Napatan Tombos populations.
Abstract: Schrader, Sarah A. Ph.D., Purdue University, August 2013. Bioarchaeology of the Everyday: Analysis of Activity Patterns and Diet in the Nile Valley. Major Professor: Michele Buzon. By employing a bioarchaeological perspective, this dissertation addresses how quotidian acts are altered during and as a consequence of sociopolitical change. Specifically, variation in day-to-day activities associated with the transition from the New Kingdom to the Napatan Periods in Ancient Nubia is explored. The focal site of the dissertation, Tombos, is located at the Third Cataract and was continuously inhabited throughout this instance of sociopolitical transition. An additional nine skeletal samples from Egypt and Nubia were also examined to investigate comparative variation in activity and diet throughout the Nile Valley. The methods of entheseal remodeling and osteoarthritis were used to broadly infer levels of manual labor. Stable isotope analysis of bone collagen and carbonate were examined to better understand dietary patterns. The theoretical perspectives of embodiment, structuration, and social identity were applied to illustrate the significance of quotidian action and further theoretical notions of the skeleton. A distinct increase in activity (entheseal remodeling, osteoarthritis) was found between the New Kingdom Tombos and Napatan Tombos populations. This suggests that despite having social, political, and economic authority during
37 citations
Additional excerpts
...Social identities may include, but aren’t limited to, ethnicity, religion, gender, status, and age (Meskell, 2001; Shennan, 1994)....
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis of what is traditionally interpreted as 'Edomite' pottery has been presented, focusing on the ways in which this type of pottery was used, and where possible, the contexts in which it was deposited/found, highlighting how people in the past used it as part of specific social practices.
Abstract: This thesis aims to reassess the principal concepts used by archaeologists in their attempts to interpret the late Iron Age archaeology of southern Israel and Jordan. This study focuses in particular on the archaeological remains that have traditionally been associated with the 'Edomites' mentioned in the Old Testament. This reassessment involves examining two inter-related themes. The first is largely historiographical, the aim being to highlight the socio-political and intellectual contexts in which the study of the 'Edomites' became an important discourse. This is achieved by contextualising both the beginnings of south Levantine Iron Age archaeology as a whole and the archaeological investigation of the 'Edomites', as well as the study of the historical sources that mention Edom' and the 'Edomites'. The second theme concerns the material culture used by archaeologists to address questions regarding the 'Edomites', such as the areas they spread to, whether they spread by migration, invasion, or trade, and the nature of their kingdom and religion. Firstly, the theoretical underpinnings of these archaeological approaches is reassessed. Building on that, an analysis of what is traditionally interpreted as 'Edomite' pottery - material that has been commonly used to address the questions posed above - is presented. This analysis focuses on the ways in which this type of pottery was used, and where possible, the contexts in which it was deposited/found, thus highlighting how people in the past used it as part of specific social practices. The results demonstrate that the pattern of material culture usually thought to underpin traditional understandings of 'Edomite' archaeology is actually quite varied and that 'Edomite' ethnicity may not be the best explanation for such diversity. Following the critique of the discourse of 'Edomite' archaeology, a number of alternative ways in which the late Iron Age material culture of the southern Levant might be understood are suggested. These alternatives focus on theories of practice, appropriation, and foodways.
33 citations