Book•
The Archaeology of Ethnicity: Constructing Identities in the Past and Present
01 Jan 1997-
TL;DR: Sian Jones as mentioned in this paper argues for a fundamentally different view of ethnicity, as a complex dynamic form of identification, requiring radical changes in archaeological analysis and interpretation, and presents a comprehensive and critical synthesis of recent theories of ethnicity in the human sciences.
Abstract: The question of ethnicity is highly controversial in contemporary archaeology. Indigenous and nationalist claims to territory, often rely on reconstructions of the past based on the traditional identification of 'cultures' from archaeological remains. Sian Jones responds to the need for a reassessment of the ways in which social groups are identified in the archaeological record, with a comprehensive and critical synthesis of recent theories of ethnicity in the human sciences. In doing so, she argues for a fundamentally different view of ethnicity, as a complex dynamic form of identification, requiring radical changes in archaeological analysis and interpretation.
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2014
4 citations
TL;DR: German Americans expanded their communities in British colonial America by successfully negotiating transatlantic networks, yet most archaeological and material culture studies of this group privilege isolating folk culture and local production over transatlantic engagement as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: German Americans expanded their communities in British colonial America by successfully negotiating transatlantic networks, yet most archaeological and material culture studies of this group privilege isolating folk culture and local production over transatlantic engagement. Imported consumer goods, including tea and coffee wares, are also part of German American assemblages, but they are often interpreted through British frameworks. By reframing the consumption of imported goods as a means of facilitating immigration and maintaining personal relationships abroad, I argue for an understanding of consumer goods that extends beyond fashion, status, and style to address the community-building networks these goods created. Exploring German engagement with these goods on both sides of the Atlantic challenges the understanding of immigrant experiences and material culture in early America, revealing ethnic motivations for consumption in southeastern Pennsylvania and reasons for variation in consumer behavior over time and throughout regions of German settlement.
4 citations
30 Jun 2020
TL;DR: Paulistaware pottery was initially produced by the tupiniquins, in an alliance with the Portuguese in the Sao Vicente area as mentioned in this paper, with some variations in morphology, attributes, and decoration over time.
Abstract: The Paulistaware resulted from the connection between generations of women potters, linked together by technology, practice, consumption, meanings, and memories. It was initially produced by the tupiniquins, in an alliance with the Portuguese in the Sao Vicente area.These practices continue through several generations of women, including those who came from abroad. In the context of these relationships, materialities and foods were used, appropriated and transformed, through choices that intertwined old technologies with novelties and cultural and identity changes. The analysis of whole vessels, fragments, and published data shows that the production of Paulistaware start in the 16th century, with some variations in morphology, attributes, and decoration over time. The persistence of the communities of practice led to ways of making and using ceramic vessels, shaping values, and social relations that defined the Paulista identity.
4 citations
10 Oct 2014
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an update of the overall results from ethnoarchaeological field seasons carried out between 2009 and 2013 in the frame of the project 'Oral history, archaeology and ethno-archaeology in the upper basin of the White Volta (NE Ghana)', a joint research by the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) and University of Ghana.
Abstract: This article presents an update of the overall results from ethnoarchaeological field seasons carried out between 2009 and 2013 in the frame of the project 'Oral history, archaeology and ethnoarchaeology in the upper basin of the White Volta (NE Ghana)', a joint research by the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) and the University of Ghana. The project aims to develop multidisciplinary research by combining different strategies -archaeology, ethnoarchaeology and oral history - in the study of the diverse social identities that define daily life of the communities of people inhabiting the upper basin of the White Volta river. Specifically, this multidisciplinary approach intends to broaden our knowledge of how these social identities are constructed and continuously modified, as well as to understand the role material culture has played in this process.
4 citations
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze the concept of ethnicity as a relational frame of reference used by groups of people to consider themselves "similar" or to be explicitly differentiated by others, and explore new ways of transforming archaeological data in the form of the presence/absence of distinctive cultural features into a metric space of social identities.
Abstract: The existence of cultural differences and similarities between human populations has long been a major topic of investigation for social scientists. In this paper we analyze the concept of ethnicity as a relational frame of reference used by groups of people to consider themselves “similar” or to be explicitly differentiated by others. Although it is more a belief than a material feature, ethnic identity constrains human behavior, and therefore, some material consequences of social action are linked to some forms of identity. We discuss how to convert observable differences in the archaeological record into a measure of ethnogenesis and social fractionalization. We explore new ways of transforming archaeological data in the form of the presence/absence of distinctive cultural features into a metric space of social identities. An agent-based computer simulation is presented, showing how social fractionalization, social polarity, and conflict can emerge from the dynamical nature of cultural differences and similarities. Our model suggests that the more inter-generational knowledge transmission among socially aggregated individuals in the past, the greater the similarity in the social activity performed by agents in the present, and the same for their territoriality and the way frontiers and social networks can be negotiated.
4 citations