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.
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01 Jan 2013
22 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2010
21 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the relationship between South Indian socio-archaeology and history and argues that any framework for interpreting early Tamil identity must acknowledge the important qualitative differences in the ways that texts and artifacts construct and reflect ethnic identity, and that archaeologists and historians must analyze their respective data sets within the larger social, political, and economic practices of early Tamilakam.
Abstract: For the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the most important documentary
source for information on early South Indian culture is a body of prose
poetry known as the Sangam anthology. These indigenous texts date to the first few
centuries A.D. and comprise the earliest extant examples of Tamil literature. Not
surprisingly, this is also the period to which can be traced the first indications of the
concept of a "Tamil" identity in South India. Archaeologically, the Tamil Sangam
era corresponds roughly to the late Iron Age--Early Historic period (c. 300 B.C. to
A.D. 300), which represents a key stage in the development of South Indian material
culture. Prevailing analyses of early Tamil society have relied heavily on the historical
texts, often at the expense of critically examining the material culture from Kerala
and Tamil Nadu. This study examines the relationship between South Indian
archaeology and history and argues that any framework for interpreting early Tamil
identity must acknowledge the important qualitative differences in the ways that
texts and artifacts construct and reflect ethnic identity, and that archaeologists and
historians must analyze their respective data sets within the larger social, political,
and economic practices of early Tamilakam.
21 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, a reassessment of the principal concepts used by archaeologists in their attempts to explain how 'Roman Britain' became 'early medieval England': the Anglo-Saxon migrations (i.e. the movement of people from northern Europe or southern Scandinavia to southern and eastern England in the fifth century AD).
Abstract: This thesis aims to reassess one of the principal concepts used by archaeologists in their attempts to explain how 'Roman Britain' became 'early medieval England': the Anglo-Saxon migrations (i.e. the movement of people(s) from northern Europe or southern Scandinavia to southern and eastern England in the fifth century AD). 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 Anglo-Saxon migrations' became an important discourse. This is achieved by contextualizing both the beginnings of Anglo-Saxon archaeology and the archaeological investigation of 'the migrations' as well as the early historical sources that appear to describe those migrations (why and how were they written and by whom?).The second theme concerns material used by archaeologists to address questions such as: who were the people that migrated; where did they come from and travel to; when did this happen? A reassessment of the theoretical underpinnings of those archaeolological approaches is presented. Building on that, an analysis of several brooches types - material that has often been said to be significant for the above questions - is described. This analysis focuses on the contexts in which those brooches were deposited/found and thus highlights how people in the past used them as part of specific social practices. The results demonstrate that the pattern of material culture usually thought to prove that the Anglo-Saxon migrations did take place is actually quite varied and migrations may not be the best explanation for such diversity. Having critiqued the discourse of the Anglo-Saxon migrations, a number of alternative ways in which the Roman-Medieval transition in England might be understood are suggested. These alternatives focus on theories of material culture appropriation and how this relates to changing personal and/or collective identities.
21 citations
TL;DR: Native American communities occupying the western Great Plains during the postcontact period exemplify the highly contingent relationships between artifactual data and cultural processes, and cultural evolutionary theory and quantitative analyses are used to approach this challenge.
Abstract: Native American communities occupying the western Great Plains during the postcontact period exemplify the highly contingent relationships between artifactual data and cultural processes. Here, cultural evolutionary theory and quantitative analyses are used to approach this challenge. Two sets of artif actual products were examined: parfleche attributes and moccasin decorative features, both products of female craftswomen.A model of “isolation by distance “ drawn from population genetics is used as a baseline expectation. This model predicts that, all else being equal, between-group geographic relationships will correlate with intergroup patterns of artif actual variation. Linguistic affinity and known patterns of intertribe alliance and hostility were also examined. The analyses reveal the operation of differing degrees of social transmission and differing patterns of selective bias in each artif actual case. In the case of parfleches, their potential to act as visible signals led to a patterned distribution reflecting intertribe alliance and hostility. The analyses reiterate the necessity of a cultural evolutionary approach to material culture, not only because this method facilitates the requisite flexibility toward particular historical trajectories of artifactual lineages, but also because evolutionary principles provide a range of theoretical models and practical tools of analysis, which facilitate an empirical and quantitatively analytical approach to this problem.
21 citations