Broken Mirrors? Archaeological Reflections on Identity. (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Identity of Europe in Prehistoric Archaeology
Journal of European Archaeology, 1994
AATIaa paC olin Renfrew, The identity of Europe in prehistoric archaeology 153 Michael Rowlands, Why do we need a European Association of Archaeologists? 175 Renata Grifoni Cremonesi, Observations on the problems related to certain cult phenomena during the Neolithic in the Italian peninsula 179 Robin Skeates, Ritual, context, and gender in Neolithic southeastern Italy 199 Douglass W Bailey, The representation of gender: homology or propaganda 215 Slawomir Kadrow, Social structures and social evolution among early-Bronze-Agecommunitiesin south-eastem Poland 229 Inga Ullin, The power of case studies. Interpretation of a late-Bronze-Agesettlement in central Sweden 249 Mariassunta Cuozzo, Patterns of organisation and funerary customs in the cemetery of Pontecagnano (Salerno) during the OrientaIisingperiod 263 Slavomil Venel, The archaeology of thirst 299 Alex Woolf and Roy Eldridge, Sharing a drink with Marcel Mauss: the uses and abuses of alchoholin early medieval Europe 327 Ross~amson, The end of Alamannic princely forts and the supposed Merovingian hegemony 341 Inger Zachrisson, Archaeology and politics: Saami,prehistory and history in central Scandinavia 361 Colin Renfrew, McDonald Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER. Great Britain Jou7'J'lll1 ojEllropttDl ArchMology (1994) 2.2:153-173. ,
Meetings Make History . Hunters ’ Rock Art and Lands of Identity in Mesolithic Northern Europe
2010
The title of the suggested project is a paraphrase of a conclusion reached in my article of 1999, on interregional contact in Late Mesolithic Scandinavia. Here, I interpreted occurrences of teeth pendants from elk and aurochs in southern Scandinavian female graves – animals already extinct in those areas – as tokens of these women‟s geographically distant origins. 1 Building on theories of women as the „productive gift‟ my idea was that these women were representatives of Late Mesolithic inter-group gift exchange. The argument was partly based on Newell and Constandse-Westerman‟s article on Late Mesolithic European skeletons indicating movements, or flow, of women in the north-south direction; therefore, this interpretation did not seem too fantastic. Furthermore, meetings and contact between „clans‟ involving gift exchange and renewal of bonds and affiliations, is well-known among societies of hunter-gatherers throughout the world. Indeed this phenomenon is also at the core of clas...
Archaeology of identity: introduction
The article raises problematic issues of ethnic interpretation of early medieval archaeological evidence from a historian's perspective, and discusses several aspects of identity and ethnicity in the period.
2017
For two decades, archaeology is committed to a resolute critique of its (past!) connivance with nationalism and the construction of the identity discourse. This critical approach, which is a priori an encouraging development, is however often based on scientist disciplinary premises, which do not meet the requirements of reflexivity. In other words, historical criticism merely leads to the absolution of the archaeological discipline in its present state. While this convenient historiography obviously satisfies many archaeologists, it also fuels unfortunate misunderstandings among our colleagues in the social sciences. It reinforces some tenacious prejudices as to the allegedly "natural" ideological malleability of the examination of archaeological data. Considering the crucial importance of interdisciplinary dialogue in this field, we ought therefore to foster truly reflexive analyses of the relation between archaeology and identity construction. In our eyes, such analyses should go beyond the mere challenging of past interpretations, and embrace, more fundamentally, the epistemological and methodological specificities of the archaeological discipline. Such is the aim of this contribution, which provocatively bases upon the case-study of the history of research on Neolithic and Bronze age lakeshore settlements around the Alps and the rise of the "lake-dwelling myth" during the second half of the 19th century. Paradoxically, this paradigmatic example of ideological instrumentalization of archaeology actually allows us to highlight the limits imposed upon the possible manipulation of archaeological facts. For even in such a blatant case, the instrumentalization remains subjected to the tangible material constraints of archaeological sources.
Identity Crisis: Archaeological Perspectives on Social Identity.
Identity Crisis As a component of daily practice, identity itself is a characteristic of both individuals and groups. The construction and maintenance of identity in the past may not have been straightforward; many of our social categories such as race, gender, and social status likely did not hold the same meaning to the people of the past (Meskell 2001; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). Theorizing social identity in archaeology thus warrants recognition that, although our subjects are dead and long-buried, they were once people with lives, friends, goals and senses of self. We should, therefore, study past identities through the reconstruction of daily practices and social interactions to gain a greater understanding of the people of the past. Michel Foucault has argued that identity is a form of social construction which people impose on themselves and others (Foucault 1994). The contributions to this volume highlight the fact that there are, indeed, multiple, layered and plural identities, created through both self-definition and the perceptions of others. Consequently, the concepts and definitions of identity discussed in this volume are dynamic, changing with history, environment and socio-political relations (Martindale 2009; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). For archaeologists who are forced to examine a static record, it is important to recognize the dynamic nature of social identity and to adopt a more active view of the archaeological record in which the construction of identity occurs as a fluid and continuous process (Meskell 2001). As archaeologists, we often operate under the assumption that artifacts and material remains have a direct relationship with social identity (Casella and Fowler 2005). Although material remains do serve as a good indication of social identity in many cases, this explicitly material focus is not necessarily justified. As the contributors to this volume show, the examination of material culture is only one of many ways in which social identity can be accessed in the archaeological record. Because identity is the product of social processes, the study of the daily lives of groups and individuals through material remains, iconography, communal events, dietary practices or burial customs can lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of identity construction and maintenance within a given culture (McGuire and Wurst 2002). As the contributions in this volume illustrate, the question of identity in archaeology is intriguing given the different approaches to identity construction and the different responses of individuals to social stimuli in past societies. The articles included in this volume explore the study of identity in a variety of contexts, ask different questions and offer new interpretations of the archaeological record. The Contributions The papers in this volume represent only a small subset of a wide range of papers from different regions and countries presented at the 2009 Chacmool Conference. The diverse array papers presented here should include something for everyone, from new approaches or ways of looking at identity in the archaeological record to new perspectives on social identity. Archaeologists in the Old and New Worlds are faced with different problems, materials and social contexts in their approaches to the study of identity. For organizational purposes, we have opted to present the papers dealing with the Old World first, followed by those dealing with New World culture areas, but we encourage our readers to explore the innovative approaches used in other parts of the world which may, in fact, have applicability in their own culture area. However, the volume begins with a paper by Andrew Gardner, the keynote speaker at the 2009 Conference, who presents a discussion of theoretical approaches and considerations in the archaeological study of identity. He discusses the fluid and multiple nature of social identity, which make it difficult to discover this ever-changing concept in the archaeological record. Identities, Gardner suggests, have the power to both divide and unite present and past populations. He nevertheless suggests that social identity can and should be studied archaeologically and presents a number of theoretical and methodological techniques for doing so. Gardner‘s encouragement to take up thestudy of social identity provides a nice lead into the remaining papers of the volume.
To identity and beyond: exploring the limits of the archaeological study of identity
2021
The concept of identity has been a focus for scholarly attention in archaeology for the last three decades. This thesis investigates the methodological problems and possibilities of the archaeological applicability of identity.By exploring the constraints on interpretation and the ways in which other disciplines, notably anthropology and social psychology, investigate the concept the epistemological boundary conditions within which archaeological interpretations of the past in terms of identity are made is sketched. Archaeology's engagement with 'identity' is assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. A quantitative analysis of the occurrence of the term 'identity' in six journals covering the period 1990-2018 provides a (relatively course-grained) sense of the magnitude of the discipline's commitment of recourses to studying this subject. This quantitative analysis is complemented by a more in-depth, qualitative analysis of nine monographs dedicated to ...
European and global identity through the scope of Palaeolithic Archaeology
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference Europe in Discourse: Agendas of Reform Athens, September 21st - 23rd, 2018, 2020
The rise of nationalist and populist rhetoric, the separatist movements, and the subsequent tensions within and between nations evidence an identity crisis in Europe. It is thus of paramount importance for social cohesion and future peace that we develop a sense of common belonging and a shared past. Educational systems and cultural institutions, such as museums or galleries, primarily focus on local history, mainly of the last 2-3 millennia. Palaeolithic Archaeology can illustrate the fundamental values that define all humans, while at the same time emphasise the importance of mobility, interaction and admixture of cultures.