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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TL;DR: In this article, a critical review re-considers the logic behind accounts of ethnic groups represented in the proto-historic records of Korea, specifically in terms of the 'Han' and 'Ye(maek)' in the Central Region of South Korea, dated about 100 b.c.e.
Abstract: abstract:This critical review re-considers the logic behind accounts of ethnic groups represented in the proto-historic records of Korea, specifically in terms of the 'Han' 韓 and 'Ye(maek)' 濊貊 in the Central Region of South Korea, dated about 100 b.c.e.–c.e. 300. In the prevailing Chungdo (RR: Jungdo) type Culture model, the 'Han' 韓 people were part of the Mahan confederation of polities in the west, while the 'Ye(maek)' 濊貊 people lived in the north and east. Details vary in the criteria used to define these two 'peoples', for example in classifying Stone Mound Tombs as 'Ye', hypocaust systems as 'Han', or pots with externally angled rims as 'Han'. The present review reveals that Stone Mound Tombs did not appear until perhaps c.e. 250–300, near the end of the period thought to be associated with the 'Ye'. Additionally, some form of boundary appears to have existed between the Han River Basin and the southwestern part of Korea, although such would be unclear in conventional models of Han and Ye territories. Potential implications can now be discussed more productively regarding the formation of the Paekche state and interactions between the Korean peninsula and maritime Siberia, previously overlooked due to a focus on the Yellow Sea and Lelang commandery. This review recommends that future work would be more fruitful and reflective of past lived reality if based upon material use contexts and the identification of common social institutions. KEYWORDS: Korean Iron Age, Mahan 馬韓, Ye 濊–Malgal 靺鞨, proto-history, ethnicity, archaeological practice.
3 citations
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, anthropological, linguistic and archaeological approaches to ethnicity in Western Europe protohistory are discussed, and a case study of Western Europe Proto-Barmanic and Iron Age is presented.
Abstract: Celtic concept is often used as an ethnological one. Current theories about ethnicity and its application in Archaeological interpretations make it impossible to determine whether a celtic identity existed in protohistoric past. Problems arise from approaches to ethnicity as a time and space homogeneous essence. This work emphasizes anthropological, linguistic and archaeological approaches to this topic. Western Europe protohistory is my case study. Ethnicity is a language of multiple identities situational and contextually manifested, and a way for an ethiology of Final Bronze Age and Iron Age trade routes.
3 citations
01 Mar 2016
TL;DR: The authors examined the ethnic colouration in the voting pattern of Nigerians during the 2015 presidential election and found that 86.4% of the respondents with Hausa ethnic identity and 72% of Igbo background agreed that some variables such as ethnicity and religion were strong factors that influenced their voting behaviour in the election.
Abstract: The resurgence of voting pattern along ethnic identities during the 2015 presidential election never took an average Nigerian by surprise. The nature of Nigerian politics has always been premised on primordial factors that keep defining who gets what, how and when. The paper examines the ethnic colouration in the voting pattern of Nigerians during the election. The paper employs primordial theory of ethnicity to explain the strength of ethnicity in voting behaviour. The paper exploits qualitative and quantitative components comprising questionnaire and content analysis of two dailies and review of literature as secondary data. A sample size of one hundred respondents in Ibadan, Oyo State was analyzed on the considerations such as ethnic identities: language, religion, region, and custom among those that participated during campaign, those that voted and those that served as INEC officials. The findings showed that 86.4% of the respondents with Hausa ethnic identity and 72% of the respondents with Igbo background agreed that some variables such as ethnicity and religion were strong factors that influenced their voting behaviour in the election.
3 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors examined the Britishness of the family of Henry and Katharine Somerset at Caboonbah Homestead in the Brisbane Valley in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and found that the ethnic construction of Britishness was as much a product of the colonial experience as it was of the British homeland.
Abstract: The recognition of ethnicity in the archaeological record is a complex phenomenon. Traditionally, ethnic groups are viewed as bounded, homogenous entities with ethnic labels assigned to associated material culture. In this paper we depart from traditional practice. The study of the ethnic identity of Britishness is situated within the framework of a comparative theory of ethnicity that examines the relationship of ethnicity and culture through the use of Bourdieu's concept of habitus. Britishness is a diverse, fluid and mobile ethnic identity, applied during the nineteenth century to subjects of the British monarchy both 'at home' and throughout the British Empire. Using the multidisciplinary approach of historical archaeology, we examine the Britishness of the family of Henry and Katharine Somerset at Caboonbah Homestead in the Brisbane Valley in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The use of this case study establishes that the ethnic construction of Britishness in rural Queensland was as much a product of the colonial experience as it was of the British homeland and demonstrates that the Somerset family was able to accommodate both the competing and complementary ethnicities of simultaneously being British and colonial.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the first millennium bc Greek diaspora in the Mediterranean has been studied and the authors discuss the methodological, theoretical and practical challenges of integrating bioarchaeology and archaeology into Mediterranean research.
Abstract: The resolution of bioarchaeological analyses has improved dramatically in recent years, and bioarchaeology is increasingly employed in areas of the world where preservation issues and disciplinary traditions had previously hindered its application. One such area is the Mediterranean region. Bioarchaeological analyses arguably are the most direct indicator of human behavior in the past, and as a result the full integration of bioarchaeology and archaeology into Mediterranean research shows much promise. However, several methodological, theoretical and practical challenges have emerged: (1) discrepancies between cultural and biological variability; (2) discrepancies in the dating of skeletal samples and of migration events in the two subdisciplines; (3) diverging interpretations of (collective) identities; and (4) the fostering of effective cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration. While the first two points are especially salient for Mediterranean research, the third and fourth are relevant for the archaeological discipline more generally. In this paper, we discuss each challenge in turn, focusing on the first millennium bc Greek diaspora in the Mediterranean. We believe that both disciplines would benefit from open discussion of these issues, which we hope might spur more collaborative efforts towards their resolution.
3 citations