scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
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.
Citations
More filters
12 Dec 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, the Western Wadden Sea is used as a case study to show what is threatening underwater cultural heritage, how these threats can be mitigated and in which ways the Underwater Cultural Heritage can be used a a scientific resource, but also for enjoyment and commemmoration.
Abstract: The Netherlands is a maritime nation with a rich past. this is reflected in the many archaeological sites still present in the seabed and that are often well preserved. This underwater cultural heritage - consisting of shipwrecks, bridges and quays, amongst others, is under threat. However, the resource also offer chances for a better understanding of our past and our current society. It can even help us to make predictions of the future. If we want to be able to do this, than it is necessary to deal with this underwater cultural heritage in a responsible way. This thesis uses the Western Wadden Sea - the former Texel Roads - as a case to show what is threatening underwater cultural heritage, how these threats can be mitigated and in which ways the underwater cultural heritage can be used a a scientific resource, but also for enjoyment and commemmoration.

22 citations

Dissertation
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this paper, the Antonine Wall is reframed as a place rather than an artefact or monument, and an expanded place-centred perspective is developed, in which this former Roman frontier is reinvested with wider significances that derive from both its Roman past and its post-Roman history and archaeology.
Abstract: This thesis offers a critique of currently dominant approaches to the history and archaeology of the Antonine Wall, and develops an expanded place-centred perspective in which this former Roman frontier is reinvested with wider significances that derive from both its Roman past as well as its post-Roman history and archaeology. Part 1 provides a general introduction to the Antonine Wall following the traditional perspective, and draws on interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological developments to outline how this traditional perspective will be challenged through reframing the Wall as a place rather than an artefact or monument. Part 2 offers a critical genealogy of Antonine Wall discourse from the earliest accounts until the present, tracing the development of current reductionist approaches and demonstrating that the Wall has been the focus of wider concerns in the past. Part 3 focuses on particular aspects of the Antonine Wall’s post-Roman archaeology and the Wall’s role in regional myths and legends to explore alternative themes for future research and wider significances that can be integrated into new understandings of the Antonine Wall’s meaning, significance, and value as a place of memory, meaning, and cultural heritage in the present.

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a century-long history of research into a particular set of archaeological finds is explored, including the "princely graves" from the early Iron Age (seventh to fifth centuries BC).
Abstract: This article critically explores the century-long history of research into a particular set of archaeological finds. The 'princely graves' – funerary assemblages dated to the early Iron Age (seventh to fifth centuries BC) containing, among other things, luxurious objects produced in Archaic Greek workshops – are known from various parts of temperate Europe, and were first recorded in the central Balkans region by the end of the nineteenth century. By their very nature, these finds pose several important theoretical and methodological problems, one of them being the need to bridge the divide between the procedures of prehistoric and classical archaeologies. The first attempts to account for these exceptional finds, in Europe as well as in the Balkans, were guided by the culture-historical procedure, typical of the archaeological investigation of the time. During the 1960s New Archaeology brought about the notion of chiefdom as a tool to account for the Iron Age societies. The concept was introduced...

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The French immigrants of early modern London are recorded as having been a clearly recognizable community with similarities in language, religion, occupation and material culture as discussed by the authors, however, analysis of the excavated and documentary evidence of their domestic artefacts reveals few differences when compared with their English counterparts.
Abstract: The French immigrants of early modern London are recorded as having been a clearly recognizable community with similarities in language, religion, occupation and material culture. However, analysis of the excavated and documentary evidence of their domestic artefacts reveals few differences when compared with their English counterparts. Although isolated artefacts may reasonably be linked to an immigrant identity, the majority of refugees do not appear to have commonly expressed their group identity through their domestic material culture in historically identifiable ways. This may indicate that the nature of French immigrant identity was more complex and varied than contemporary accounts imply.

21 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored chronological, spatial, and material evidence related to an East Indian laborers' household excavated in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica and found that the ways in which space was structured and materials used were distinct from patterns observed in the households of African Jamaicans who resided in a separate locus at the same site.
Abstract: Cultural diversity is a hallmark of the Caribbean region. This diversity is the result of many diasporas, including European, African, East Asian, and East Indian. Historical archaeology has focused on cultural permutations of the demographically dominant European and African groups. The archaeological record of other groups is present and can add to our understanding of the true depth of diversity in the emergence of social landscapes. This paper explores chronological, spatial, and material evidence related to an East Indian laborers’ household excavated in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. The ways in which space was structured and materials used were distinct from patterns observed in the households of African Jamaicans who resided in a separate locus at the same site. This data suggests potential of examining cultural identities through archaeology.

21 citations