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: The emergence of far-right positions in Europe and beyond has exposed, once again, the misuse of history and archaeology in the political discourse as discussed by the authors, exposing the role of social media and new forms of politi...
Abstract: The emergence of far-right positions in Europe and beyond has exposed, once again, the misuse of history and archaeology in the political discourse. The role of social media and new forms of politi...
15 citations
TL;DR: The Aegean-inspired pottery of Iron I Philistia has received a great deal of scholarly attention as mentioned in this paper, and many have studied the various influences that shaped it, its development during the Iron I, the eth...
Abstract: The Aegean-inspired pottery of Iron I Philistia has received a great deal of scholarly attention. Many have studied the various influences that shaped it, its development during the Iron I, the eth...
15 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the dialogue between anthropological questions and the mortuary record through examining three books on early medieval archaeology and discussed key issues relating both to the study of early medieval mortuary remains and to broader anthropological agendas, such as modern political ideology and cultural identity.
Abstract: Identity, personhood, ritual, religion, landscape, and the materiality of social practice have inspired anthropologists to advance exiting new agendas. Many of these issues coalesce in mortuary archaeology. This article reviews the dialogue between anthropological questions and the mortuary record through examining three books on early medieval archaeology. It focuses on theoretical developments rather than methodology, discussing key issues relating both to the study of early medieval mortuary remains and to broader anthropological agendas, such as modern political ideology and cultural identity.
15 citations
30 Sep 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that political territoriality is present at the time of first arrival of a human group into an uninhabited area, developing and expanding through time.
Abstract: Discussions of territoriality in prehistory that link ownership, exclusion, and privilege to the development of complex social systems are seldom relevant for explaining hunter-gatherer territorial organization. It is necessary, therefore, to address huntergatherer territoriality from a perspective that is uniquely tailored to their land use patterns, social networks, and political agencies. By building a model of territory formation that explicitly incorporates mobility and other key aspects of hunter-gatherer lifeways, this article demonstrates that political territoriality is present at the time of first arrival of a human group into an uninhabited area, developing and expanding through time. A brief example from the initial colonization of North America illustrates main points.
15 citations
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify a prehistoric social border between the Tewa and the Keresan Pueblo groups on the Pajarito Plateau in New Mexico.
Abstract: Patterns of selection of raw materials used to make stone tools suggest that there was a prehistoric social border on the Pajarito Plateau in north-central New Mexico. Late Coalition period (A.D. 1250–;1325) pueblo sites show geographic preferences in the locations of raw material sources, suggesting the first manifestation of the traditional ethnographic border between the Tewa and the Keresan Pueblo groups. This observation delineates a useful method for identification of prehistoric social boundaries from material remains and provides insight into the timing of social differentiation on the Pajarito Plateau. Social distinctions took on a firm spatial aspect, in the form of a barrier to regional interaction, coincident with region-wide patterns of intense competition over resource-collecting territories. This competition occurred well before segregated aggregation of the Tewa and Keresan groups beginning with the Classic period (A.D. 1325+).
14 citations